Seth's Chapter
by Jessmartie21
Summary: Seth's story starts two years after Renesmee is born, when he imprints on a girl camping on La Push beach. As per usual, vampires unlike the Cullens in their dietary habits cause trouble for the girl, and she turns to Seth for support. In this well-written continuation of the Twilight saga, readers get to see a side of Seth, everyone's favourite werewolf, that no one's seen before.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Jess

"Nicholas!" I yelled, looking toward the crashing waves of La Push beach worriedly.

My little brother has little instinct for self-preservation, and I always seem to be my parents' third set of eyes when it comes to my siblings. Even my older brother, who was the reason for our trip to Forks, Washington, had been under my responsibility since we were kids; because I had always been much more mature than he was even being two years younger than him.

Matthew had been looking into universities, and the University of Seattle was one of his top choices. He had wanted to 'check out' the university campus before replying to his acceptance letter (what he _really _wanted to check out had a little more to do with the female population of SU, I think), and my mother had suggested that we all come along and make it a family vacation. My dad, seeing how opposed his kids were to this "big family fun time", then suggested we make it a camping trip. My mom hates camping, but she agreed when it was clear we liked that idea so much more. In my opinion, cooped up with your family on a beach is much better than cooped up with your family in a tiny hotel room. Anyways, my dad had really liked the idea of camping on a beach, and my mom liked the Native American heritage La Push beach had, so here we were.

While I was thinking about his, and grumbling to myself about my reckless little brother, my little sister, Sarah, plopped herself down beside me and started playing on her IPod touch.

I looked over at her and rolled my eyes; it seemed as if she was always on that thing. I was sure I wasn't that distant when I was twelve-was I?

I turned around when I heard some voices coming from farther down the beach, and my annoyance suddenly turned to curiosity when I saw the copper-colored skin of some of the local boys. Now that was one of the main perks of this place-these guys were _hot_! They each looked twice as toned as the male models on the front of airbrushed magazine covers.

Trying not to be too obvious in my staring, I shifted so that my sister blocked their view of me and watched them walk down the beach. It was embarrassing how quickly I noticed two boys that weren't usually with the group; one that looked about the same age as the rest, and another, younger boy, who immediately jumped to the top of my list as the most good looking person on this entire reservation. He had the same perfect copper complexion and toned body as the rest of them, and he had beautiful curly black hair and a flawless smile.

_Wow, _I thought. _This guy could be a shampoo, toothpaste, and abs routine workout model all at the same time._

I think my imminent attraction towards him could also have been the part of my brain saying, _He looks about the same age as you!_ It was too bad that anyone this good looking would never give me the time of the day. I mean, I considered myself pretty, with an okay body, but I was in no way good enough for this guy to pay me any attention.

For an almost-sixteen-year old girl, I was pretty sure instead of growing out of my awkward phase, I'd just shifted into a whole new one. My size-ten feet, one of the most annoying things about me, were embarrassing. My un-teenager-like D-cup breasts were also embarrassing (and annoying) especially when bathing suit shopping and taking gym class (although they did seem to get me quite a lot of male attention sometimes). Judging from this, you'd think I was some sort of huge amazon. Nope. I considered myself pretty average height and size-wise; I was a size six in most places, and about five-foot-six. Probably my best feature would be my hair; I had dark brown hair that curled naturally into perfect beachy waves, and was usually pretty nice to me whenever I wanted to straighten or curl it. My hair was good to me.

Just as I was contemplating this, I heard my mom's voice call me from where her, my dad, and Matthew had pitched our tent. I sighed, stood up and glanced back at the group of boys, whose gaze was now on me. I quickly looked away, embarrassed and sure that they had known I was staring at them, and jogged over to our makeshift campsite.


	2. Chapter 2

~**Hey readers! Hope you enjoyed chapter one, and got a little bit of an idea of what Seth's imprint (or soon-to-be-imprint) is like. Please review- if you haven't already-I would love to know what you think! This chapter is in Seth's point of view (I love Seth!). Of course, although I didn't mention it in the first chapter, everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer (Except for Jess-she's all mine!). Enjoy! ~**

Chapter 2- Seth

_It's so great that the two packs get along so well_, I thought, as I ambled down the beach with Jake, Jared, Paul, and Embry.

Sam and Jake were getting along better these days, and had sort of unconsciously formed a co-leadership agreement- Jake controls our pack, Sam controls his, but we all work together to protect the tribe.

Paul snorted, and I looked up to see what had annoyed him.

"Looks like those tourists again," Jared noted.

I looked around the beach, and saw a little kid in the surf, maybe about eight years old. He was laughing and jumping away from the waves. It was hard not to smile at the kid, who was so obviously having the time of his life.

A few yards away from the tide sat a blond haired girl that looked about twelve or thirteen and who was fiddling with some kind of electronic, and another person sitting beside her who was blocked from view. I could only tell she was sitting there from the fact that I could see a set of long, tanned legs beside her sister's paler ones. I couldn't help but stare at them for a second, and then look back to Jared, curious.

"They're camping here?" I asked, surprised.

Embry nodded. "They asked Billy," he said, shrugging. "And he agreed to it. They're only staying a week."

I'd never heard of Billy letting anyone _camp _on the reservation before…

Paul shook his head and I smiled, amused that he could be so easily annoyed. Even after imprinting on Jake's sister, which usually mellowed a guy out some, he was still the most hot-headed member of the pack. Just then, someone called from the tents, and the person sitting beside the blond-haired girl stood up and looked back at the campsite. It was a girl, with long-ish brown hair, who looked to be about my age. She turned to face us, and my jaw almost dropped to the floor. My eyes bugged out and I gasped. My knees started to shake, and my legs nearly gave out as I felt my entire world shift.

She quickly turned back around and jogged back to the tents, and all I could do was stare at her as I started feeling things that felt vaguely familiar. An instant pull towards her. A feeling of connection. The impulse to protect her. Who I was, being snipped away and tied back down, tied to this girl. I had never once questioned my reason for being born, or that I might have been put on the Earth for any kind of purpose, but now I knew what that purpose was. My reason for existing was right there, not fifty yards away. The only girl in the world. This girl, who I had never spoken to, only seen from a distance. Whose face was already etched into my brain as permanently as if it had been etched into stone.

Holy crap. I'd just imprinted on a person who probably lived thousands of miles away from here and was only staying here for a week. The sense of familiarity had come from seeing those remembered feelings in the minds of the wolves in my pack that had imprinted.

Jake noticed the strange expression on my face and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, man?" he said.

I just stood there and stared at the tents, barely believing what had just happened.

"Seth!" Jared said, waving his hand in front of my face.

I looked at him and blinked stupidly. "Either I just had a brain aneurysm, or I just… _imprinted_ on that girl." Jake's eyes widened. "And since I didn't _die_, well…"

"Oh, God," Embry groaned.

I started walking towards the tent. Paul grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing? What are you going to say to her? 'I'm a werewolf and I just imprinted on you?' I think you need a smoother plan of action, kid."

"I wasn't going to say that," I said, innocently. "I was… going to ask her if she'd like to come to the campfire tonight. Paul, I have to talk to her."

I was almost pleading now, and Jake sighed and put his head in his hands. I shrugged off Paul's grip on my arm and continued walking towards the campsite. The blond girl, who I assumed was her… it felt weird to feel so connected to the girl I'd just imprinted on and yet not know her name, but, I didn't know it, so she'd just have to be "her" in my thoughts for now.

Anyways, the blond girl, who I assumed was "her" sister, had looked up from her IPod and stared at me, and the kid playing in the ocean (her brother, probably) was staring at me as well. I looked down and was walking very slowly by the tent when _she_ walked out.

"Hey," I called, and she turned around quickly, surprised and then utterly shocked when she saw who I was.

I was pretty floored myself, seeing her up close for the first time. She had beautiful light brown eyes and long eyelashes, a small mouth and an even, olive toned complexion.

I shook my head, clearing my throat and held out my hand, plastering an easy smile on my face. She glanced at my outstretched hand as if I was handing her a live grenade, and then looked up to make eye contact as she tentatively shook it, looking confused and a little shy.

"I'm Seth," I said. "Live on the reservation."

"Jessica," she replied slowly. "Or Jess, if you prefer. My family and I are visiting. We live in Canada, but my brother is thinking about going to university near here, in Seattle."

I smiled. Jess. Her name was Jess. "Cool," I said. "I've never been to Canada."

I was quiet for a second; unsure of how I was supposed to ask her what I wanted to ask her.

"There's going to be a bonfire tonight for some of the reservation kids. I thought you might like to come."

I had blurted it out in my typical 'just get it over with' fashion, and she raised her eyebrows, and looked as if she was astounded I had asked her.

_Oh my god. What if she has a boyfriend? What the hell am I talking about, of course she does, she's frickin' beautiful! Wait. Her parents can hear us! They're listening to us! _

She interrupted my frantic thought process with a reply.

"I… I… I would…ummm…love to, where…?"

"Oh, right," I said. "Well, you would definitely be able to see the bonfire from here, but I'll come and walk you there around nine."

She smiled at me again, and I smiled back as I realized that talking to her, and seeing her smile at me made me feel at home. It made me feel indescribably good to know that she was smiling at _me. _

"Thanks," she said, interrupting my thoughts yet again. "I wouldn't want to get lost, of course."

I smiled wider. "Of course" I repeated. "I'll see you at nine, then?" she said, sending a worried glance at the tide where her little brother was playing.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Nine".

She smiled at me one last time and then walked back over to her sister. I took a deep breath and walked back to Jake, Jared, Paul, and Embry, who were sitting on a driftwood log waiting for me. They stood up as I approached them, and Jake smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Now all you've got to do is tell your mom and Leah," he said, laughing as I groaned at the thought. "Good luck with that!"

**~Next chapter goes out tomorrow!~**


	3. Chapter 3

~**Hey everybody! Here's the first date: i promise all the action will start in the next chapter, which i'm putting up tomorrow! As always, enjoy! (Of course, no copyright infringement intended, everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer, except Jess and her family) :) ~**

Chapter 3- Jess

Oh my lord. He had just… asked me out? Well, that's what it had seemed like. I walked back to my sister, feeling the eyes of my family and his-_Seth_'s friends on me. I knelt down next to her and said in a low voice

"Please, _please_, watch Nicholas. Just make sure he doesn't get hurt, okay?"

She nodded at me. "Sure," she said.

I sighed, relieved, and jogged back towards the tent, not at all looking forward to the conversation with my parents I was no doubt about to have. It was embarrassing enough they'd heard my entire awkward exchange, now I was about to be interrogated about it, and no doubt given hell for accepting Seth's invitation without asking their permission.

I stepped into our tent, and was instantly greeted by my mother and father's disappointed stares.

"Jessica. You should have asked us before agreeing to go to that campfire. You don't even know these people, and neither do we!" I sighed. _How did I know? Oh, right, because my parents are crazy. I'm almost sixteen, and I can't go to a _campfire _by myself?_ _Please._

"Mom, come on," I said. The only way to break down my parents is with a good, strong, argument, and I had been prepping mine since the moment Seth asked me to go to the campfire. Jeez, you would think my parents were lawyers. "I know you were listening. He was very polite, and there are going to be plenty of other people there. You'll be able to see where I am from right here. How much safer can you get?" I thought I had a pretty good argument, until my mom threw something at me I should've seen coming.

"Take your brother with you. I saw those older boys, and they seemed to be closer to his age anyways"

I looked at Matthew, silently pleading for help. This was _so _not cool. Dragging your brother along on a sort-of date? Um, no thank you.

"Mom, come on," my brother said. " I wasn't even invited. How weird would it be for me? And trust me, Jessica can take care of herself. She's smart."

_Thank you!_ Finally, someone on my side! Yes!

"I know she is, Matthew," my mom said. "But that doesn't mean…" she sighed, seeming to give up. _Come on, mom, come on, come on! _"Okay, fine. You can go. But you have to take your phone, and be back by eleven, though I can't imagine a campfire could take more than two hours."

_Yes, yes, yes!_ "Thank you thank you thank you!" I said, my hands pressed together in a silent 'Amen'. "And of course, back by eleven, bring my phone. Got it. You have _nothing_ to worry about." At this last sentence I nodded my head convincingly.

"I hope not," she said threateningly.

"Just be careful," my dad added kindly. He was the saner of the two, my mom's silent supporter. Although _he _wasn't a stay at home mother- being around the four of us 24/7 would drive anyone completely insane.

"I always am," I said, my usual response to this often-used warning.

I immediately ran to the place where my sleeping bag and suitcase was, and dug around inside it, trying to find something casual but special, perfect for a campfire with an insanely hot guy as your date… oh, who was I kidding? I sighed, pulling out my favorite blue floral dress. I held it up and looked at it. Not too desperate-looking, a little bit of cleavage…. Could be nice. A jean jacket, my navy converse, and some nice jewelry would make this perfect.

A few hours and one very awkward dinner on the tent floor later, it was eight forty-five and I had just done my makeup.

_Not bad, _I thought, looking in the small makeup mirror I had packed. _Swarovski crystal necklace, GUESS watch, Pandora ring, Yep, I am good to go._

I took a deep breath and stepped outside the tent, sitting on one of the lawn chairs my dad had put outside.

_Wait, something's wrong, _I thought. _I'd look stupid, just sitting here doing nothing when he comes to get me. But I definitely do NOT want him to have to come in the tent to get me and have to meet my family… ugh! Okay, new plan. _

I dashed back inside the tent and grabbed the Sarah Dessen book I had brought on the trip, and took my phone out of my purse as I sat back down outside. I opened the book, pretending to read while waiting for him, occasionally looking at my phone and fiddling with it, as if I was texting somebody.

_I am so pathetic. But at least I'll look like I had other things to do besides play card games with my family the second night in a row. Cut yourself some slack, this is pretty much your first date. You've been so focused on school and that stupid science program that you've never _once _attempted to be in any kind of… _romantic _relationship. Could you turn the worry off for a few hours and have some fun with the hottie that asked you out? For once?_

I sighed, frustrated with myself, and got back to my silly charade. About ten minutes later, when I had abandoned the fake-texting and actually started reading the book (hey, it was a good book, I couldn't help but get sucked in), I looked up to see him coming towards me. I smiled and waved, and bit back a squeal when the male model walking towards me waved back.

_God, what is wrong with me, _I thought. _I am not a giggly little girl! I am an A student who has been mature, responsible and respectful of the rules her whole life. What am I doing squealing just because some guy waved at me? I have a ninety average for god's sake!_

Seeing that he was only a few feet away from me I quickly stood up, putting a bookmark in my book and tossing it back onto the chair, and slipping my phone into my jacket. I was glad I had brought the jacket, because it was pretty cold out here at night.

I smiled as he approached me. "You were right," I said. "You can see the campfire from here. That one, right?" I pointed to the small flicker of orange flame a little ways down the beach.

He nodded, grinning back at me. "Yeah," he said. "My sister and the guys I was with this afternoon are already there. Are you ready to go?"

"Of course," I replied. "Lead the way!"

He laughed, then started back down the beach the way he had come. I followed him, sticking closely to his side, realizing with a little bit of unease that it was darker than I expected it to be at only nine at night. I wasn't usually afraid of the dark, but it was unsettling in an unfamiliar place. I felt safe beside Seth though, which I figured was probably just my teenage girl brain talking. '_Oh please, take care of me, big strong man!' _ Again, that had never been me. In fact, I was known to beat guys my own age at arm wrestling, and was well known at my lunch table for being the one to go to when you had a particularly tight lid on your thermos (Yeah, I know, totally lame. Girls aren't supposed to be strong, or proud of it. Whatever). This guy was really bringing out some feelings I didn't even know were there… and I guess I haven't decided if that was good or bad yet.

When we got to the campfire, I immediately felt like the odd one out. With my Italian olive-toned skin I had never been considered pale, but next to these people I might as well have been Casper the Friendly Ghost. There were a few other people who were there with dates, but I could tell those others had been going out with their respective dates for a lot longer than fifteen minutes, and I was surprised nobody commented on the major PDA going on.

I felt a little uncomfortable, and hoped that Seth didn't expect that from me. I mean sure, he was nice, and very, _very_ handsome, and I'm sure also perfect in every other way as well. But no matter what kind of feelings he brought out in me, I was certainly not a kiss-on-the-first-date-with-a-guy-I-just-met kind of girl. Especially not in front of other people. Especially when I'd never even been kissed before, and my lack of knowledge on the subject would surely embarrass me thoroughly.

After Seth finished the introductions, I got a little more relaxed, and the campfire got a whole lot more fun. Talking to Seth's friends, especially the girls (although his sister was a little cold), was easy, and I found myself feeling like I was with my own friends.

Seth even ended up holding my hand for most of the time, and it felt so natural I didn't feel uncomfortable in the least. Thank god my mom hadn't stuck to her original plan and sent my brother with us. I would have been so embarrassed getting close to Seth like this around Matthew.

When the campfire had died down, and the glaring screen of my phone told me it was ten to eleven, I leaned closer to Seth and informed him quietly. "Seth, it's ten to eleven. I told my parents I'd be back by then. I don't want them to get worried."

He nodded, and stood up. "I'm going to walk Jess home," he announced.

It was interesting he'd decided to use my nickname, and even though it probably meant nothing, I felt like he used it because he felt comfortable around me.

I waved at everybody and said goodbye, and then walked back towards the tent with Seth.

"Your friends are fun to hang around with," I said. "Thanks for taking me. I had a really nice time. The most fun I've had in a while actually. Just hanging out, talking, laughing. Stress-free."

I realized I was rambling and laughed. "Sorry," I said. "I've been told I'm a little talkative at times."

"No, no" he said. "It's nice. I think it's much better to talk too much than too little. It makes a person interesting. When you talk, I feel like you're saying exactly what you're thinking to me; like you trust me."

Was he serious? I always felt majorly stupid when I started babbling like that.

"Trust me," I said. "What goes on in my head is usually either too embarrassing to say out loud or really boring."

Seth laughed again. I think that was becoming one of my favorite sounds. _Okay, that was SO a clingy-girlfriend thought. God, get ahold of yourself! You've been on one date with the guy!_

"Which is it right now?" he asked. I laughed.

"I think you know," I said, "but nice try." What I was thinking about him was definitely not ever going to reach his ears. I snuck another quick look at his muscled arms and shook my head. Yup. Not ever.

We approached the tent and I could hear my dad snoring inside.

"Again, thank you" I said.

"Anytime," Seth said. "And I should probably be thanking you. The campfires usually aren't _that _much fun, and… I think that had a lot to do with you."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "See you tomorrow," I said smiling, and I ducked inside the tent.

I listened to his footsteps as they got farther and farther away from the tent, and then quickly put a pair of pajama pants on and an old t-shirt. I took all of my jewelry off and put it back in the suitcase, and then used some makeup remover wipes to take off the eyeliner I had carefully applied a few hours before. Apparently it had worked, because Seth had been staring at me all night. I climbed into bed, replaying every moment of the night in my head before falling into a very light sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

~**Hello everyone! This chapter took a long time to write-mainly because of character reactions and just how damn sad it is! (Be warned; the next chapter is even more tear-inducing!) Enjoy, review (love those reviews!), belongs to Stephanie Meyer.~**

Chapter 4-Seth

_Who the hell is banging on the door like this at 3 in the morning? _

Grumbling, I got out of bed and walked through the small hallway into the kitchen, and opened the front door to find Jake, with his hand around the forearm of the girl I had been dreaming about.

Her face was white in shock, and when she shifted her eyes to look at me I saw fear in them, so intense that I was overwhelmed with the instant need to comfort her, make her feel happy and protected. Yeah, I was awake now. Seeing her like this put all my senses into overdrive, as if I had just drunk ten cups of coffee, and I hovered on the edge of control, ready to burst into a wolf at any moment.

"What is going o-" I stopped as my nose began to burn with the unmistakable scent of vampire.

Judging from the concentration of the stink, more than one. My eyes widened as I realized what must have happened.

"Oh, god no. Jake, please tell me-" '

"Just take care of her," he interrupted, practically throwing Jess at me and then bolting back down the beach.

I closed the door behind Jess and I and led her over to the couch in the living room, which was opposite our kitchen. I sat her down on the couch and walked to my bedroom to grab the warm quilt off my bed. I walked back into the living room, and sat down beside her, draping the blanket over her shoulders and trying to think of something, anything I could say to make her feel safe. I decided explaining things to her and coming clean with the whole werewolf thing might be a good start. I sighed and turned to her.

"Jess," I started. "The things that you saw were vampires. I'll explain more about them later. What you need to know is that you're safe now."

"Safe?" she repeated, doubtful.

"Werewolves are the natural enemies of vampires, and that's what we are. This morning, I…I imprinted on you. That's kind of like… well, there's no perfect way to explain it, but most of us think of it as finding your soulmate."

I wanted to shift, knowing that it was a lot safer for the both of us if I was ready should the vampires come near the house. I wasn't crazy about killing vampires since I'd become good friends with the Cullens, but these definitely weren't vegetarians, and I would do anything I could to protect this girl. I certainly didn't want to scare her...

"My whole family," she whispered.

Tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, and she tucked her knees to her chest and hid her face. They had killed her whole family? I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer that she was alive, that Jake and other wolves had arrived fast enough to save her.

"I'll be right back," I said, pain for her twisting in my gut.

I quickly jogged to my bedroom and shifted, then carefully trod back to the couch to settle my huge wolf body in front of it, shielding her from harm. The connection I had with her was strong enough that I could sense just how deeply she was suffering, and I was filled with anguish at the knowledge that there wasn't anything I could do to ease that suffering. _I'm her protector! I should be able to…do something! Anything, I would do anything to… what? Make her feel better? Her whole family was just ripped away from her. Does a wound like that ever heal?_

Two hours later, Jess still wasn't asleep. I had stayed awake, on guard and not able to relax. If a vampire showed up here, I wasn't completely confident in my ability to take it down alone.

Her stillness, and the way she didn't sob, simply silently cried as tears rolled down her face, made me worried and uneasy.

Just then, Sam and Jake walked into the house, with Edward, Jasper, and Emmett right behind them.

Huh. I guess Jake had called them asking if they knew the scent, and wanting them to help track the monsters.

Sam spoke first. "We didn't find them. They were fast, and they started swimming as soon as they caught wind of us."

"By the time we got here, it was too late to go in after them," Emmett added. He sounded upset, as if he would have enjoyed the fight.

"Is this her?" Jasper asked.

I nodded, and turned to look at her again. She hadn't moved, and she looked as if she hadn't even heard them speak. She was staring into space, her eyes empty and the dark circles underneath them making her look haunted.

Edward grimaced and put a hand to his temple, as if something he was hearing was causing him pain; like someone's thoughts were giving him a headache. Emmett looked at him, confused, and Edward flinched once again.

"The things going on in her head right now… the pain of what she's feeling…it's not very pleasant to hear, let's just say."

I groaned and shuddered; not wanting to hear any more about how much my "perfect match" was suffering. I turned my head to face Edward to communicate with him.

_Her whole family? Are you sure? All five of them?_

Edward nodded, his face stricken with grief.

Jasper cleared his throat. His sensitivity towards the emotions of the people around him was also making him uncomfortable, and he glanced at Jess and winced. "They trashed the car first and put it in the ocean, and did the same with the… with the bodies. I assume it was to make it look like a car accident, where they were driving along the beach and had lost control," he reported.

I felt like screaming, if that were possible in this form, and howling would just frighten Jess and wake up the whole reservation.

I trotted to my bedroom and shifted, then pulled on a pair of shorts and walked back out to the living room. I sat down on the couch beside Jess, and put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched and then pulled away from me. Did she not trust me? Oh, no, I knew what it was.

_I just told her a couple of hours ago that we were soul mates. Of course she's going to freak out as soon as I touch her. She's scared of me-because I'm a wolf, and because she thinks I want this romantic relationship she's obligated to have with me. Or maybe she just thinks I'm crazy. _

Edward nodded absently in answer to me as he stared at her. Great. She was afraid of me. Just then, my mom walked out of her bedroom, yawning. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the girl huddled up on our couch and the three vampires in the living room. Seeing Sam and Jake here at five in the morning wasn't that uncommon, given the patrol hours we had.

"What's going on?" she said. "Seth, _who_ is on our couch?"

"Mom, this is Jess… I sort of…imprinted on her this morning," I explained. I had refrained from telling her last night that I'd imprinted, because I was afraid of her reaction. I was going to tell her today…what a sick way for _that _plan to turn itself out.

Her eyes went wide, and wider still as Jake leaned in close to her to tell her quietly why Jess was here. I knew Jess's ears weren't developed enough to hear it, but every word of Jake's explanation hit me like a sledgehammer. _'vampires…. couldn't save them…all five….lucky we got to her in time...'_

"Oh my goodness," she said.

Her eyes started tearing up and she sat on the couch beside Jess to wrap her arms around her. Jess leaned her head on my mom's shoulder and seemed to relax a little.

_Awesome. She trusts my mom and not me. Well, maybe now she can get some sleep. _

My mom stood Jess up and led her down the hallway, where she opened the door to her bedroom and brought her inside.

A few moments later, mom came back out again with a change of clothes for herself and headed to the washroom. It astounded me how deep the mothering instinct was that you take care of all children like that, and not just your own. Of course, it might have to do with the fact that _this_ person was severely traumatized, and her son had imprinted on her. In no less than 15 minutes mom was up, dressed, and warming up chicken broth for a girl she had just met.

"Seth," she said when she was done, "take this to that poor girl. And don't bother her."

Jasper cleared his throat behind me. "I think we'd better go now," he said.

"I'll see if Carlisle knows the scent," Edward said. "And I'll suggest he come check over Jessica."

"Thanks, Edward," I said.

I held open the door for Emmett, Edward, and Jasper as they walked out.

"I've got to go too," Jake said. "I promised Nessie I'd go hunting with her today."

"Good luck," Sam said as he and Jake walked out the door. "Take care of her."

"Of course," I said, and shut the door behind them.

I walked down the hallway to my mom's room, and quietly opened the door. I stood uncertainly in the doorway. It seemed as if she was sleeping, so I stepped into the room, and set the mug of chicken broth on the bedside table.

Slowly, I eased myself into the rocking chair beside the bed and monitored her slow breathing.

~**As usual, next chapter posted tomorrow!~**


	5. Chapter 5

~**Here you go! The saddest chapter in the whole book :( I hope i don't make you cry :( Anyways, i have a little challenge for you. If i get five reviews on the story by tomorrow, i will give you the next THREE chapters in the next 24 hours (which might just include the first kiss!). Enjoy!~**

Chapter 5-Jess

_No. NO. NO! This is not real. This is NOT REAL! It can't be. Not my whole family- my whole life. Who am I now? My entire self was defined by them-when they made me who I was, who was I without them? How could I survive never feeling the excitement of hearing my Dad coming home from work again, never feel my mother's arms around me, see my older brother's smile, hear my sister's voice singing along to the radio, or hear my little brother's laugh?_

I opened my eyes at this last thought, and fresh tears streamed over the dry tracks of the ones that had fallen just hours before.

_He's here again. Why? What did he say last night- imprinting? That I was his- what did he call it… soul mate? As if I need this right now. I don't doubt he was telling the truth, it's just… what does he expect of me? I just met him. If we really are soul mates, he'll give me space, right? And based on what is going on in my life right now, if he really cared about me, he'd give me a LOT of space. I mean, I know he's a guy, but I can tell he's more sensitive than that. Too respectful to…try something. _

I choked back a sob, thinking about those frequent talks with my mother about boys. What was I going to do without her?

Great, more tears now, thinking about my grandparents. Oh, god, my grandparents. They would be destroyed when they found out.

It was then that I realized I had to act strong, like I was okay. The real thing, this depressive, mute self, numb to a life without the five people who had provided me with the most unconditional, pure type of love in the world my entire life, would have to stay on the inside. At least around them, I thought as I sat up.

Seth's eyes immediately flew open and he scrambled to his feet. I shrank back, and we stared at each other blankly for a few moments, before my eyes flickered to the cup of what looked like chicken broth on the bedside table. Seth had noticed where my gaze strayed, and gestured to the mug.

"It's for you," he said. "I know… I know nothing I can say will make you feel the least bit better, but I have to try."

He sat down on the bed, and I shifted farther away from him.

"I told you that I imprinted on you, and that also means that I will do whatever I can to help you, and protect you. You will always have a place to stay here, and I know the situation is tense right now, but everyone is on your side. You don't have to be afraid of me. I promise I will never, ever hurt you."

_That actually does make me feel better. Wow. Shocker. I mean, I'm still not able to talk without bursting into tears, but there's a small improvement. A very small one._

I looked down at the plaid quilt and nodded slowly. Seth sighed in relief, probably not expecting me to respond to his words. I slowly leaned over and took the cup of broth in my hands, keeping my eyes on him. I leaned back, and took a small sip.

_It's good. Definitely not as good as my mothe– _I bit back tears and struggled to remain composed. I took a few deep breaths and then another small sip.

Seth walked out of the room, and then returned ten minutes later with three black suitcases and our tent in its convenient little carrying-case. I looked at the bags, and then up at him and blinked. He dropped everything onto the floor of the room and walked back out the door, giving me one last worried glance.

I stared at the back of the bedroom door for a few moments, and then crawled out of the bed to sit on the floor in front of the suitcases. I slowly unzipped the first. It was my parent's. I held up each item in the suitcase, trying to remember everything I could, grasping at memories that I felt were already beginning to slip out of reach.

_It's all in my head. But that's one of the things I'm most afraid of-forgetting. Not them, there's obviously no way I could forget the people, just the small things. Their favourite music, movies, food. What they sounded like when they were angry, sad, scared, or excited. What if I forget who they are? I will not let that happen. They will not just become faces to me. If I only do one thing for the rest of my life, it will be to remember._

I pushed that suitcase away and opened the next one, the one Matthew and Nicholas had shared.

_Nicholas was only nine years old. He had a future, and it was ripped away from him. Ripped away from me. I can't see him grow up, fall in love. I'll never cry at is wedding, or see the look in his eyes when holds his first child for the first time…_

I remembered what Seth had said about soul mates…did everyone have one? Every person in the world? I guess that would make sense, one perfect person for everybody. Maybe there's just something in the wolves' DNA that gives them a little hint as to who is theirs. Tears rolled down my cheeks again at the thought of Nicholas and Matthew's perfect matches, out there in world somewhere and not even knowing the huge loss they had just suffered. I made a sound halfway between choking and sobbing and pushed Matthew and Nicholas's suitcase away, pulling the last one towards me.

Mine and Sarah's suitcase was full of accessories, books, movies, clothes, and jewelry. Seeing every item we had chosen to bring was like losing her all over again, knowing we would never share these things again.

Over the years of my life, more than once I had wished I didn't have to share my clothes, books, and toys with a younger sister who would just copy me if I didn't. Now I found myself feeling sick at the thought of having everything to myself, desperately wanting to see her just one more time so I could tell her I loved her.

I started crying, loudly this time, and crawled into the bed, hoping the sheets would muffle my sobbing.

A few moments later, I heard the door swing open and footsteps approach the bed. I found myself wishing it were Seth.

_Maybe this whole soul mate thing isn't so crazy after all. At least it would explain why I want him around so much, like I know that he could make me feel better just by being here. And he's also, from what I've seen so far, one of the most mature seventeen-year-old boys I've ever seen. It kind of makes me feel trapped though, all this soul mate stuff. Like I'm obligated to stay here and eventually date and/or marry him._

_Wait-those couples that were hanging off each other at the campfire, were they… imprinted? That would certainly explain why they were acting the way they were, looking at each other the way… well, the way Seth stares at me. At least they all looked happy. Extremely happy. Maybe in a few months, after I've had some time to sort through my mess of a life, Seth and I could get to know each other a little better. _

Seth sat down on the bed. Thinking about all of this had distracted me so much that I'd stopped crying. Why was I even thinking about this? What was _wrong _with me?

Seth put his hand on my shoulder. He sat there for a few moments in silence, and then moved to sit closer to me. "Carlisle is going to be here in a few hours," he said softly. "He's Edward and Emmett and Jasper's…. well, not exactly father. Their story is they're all adopted, because Carlisle looks way too young to be the father of teenagers. He's a doctor. He's just coming to check you over, don't worry. And you're in good hands-he's had almost 300 years of practice."

I glanced up at Seth, confused.

Um, 300 years old? _What?_ How in the…

"Oh, you don't know, that's right. I guess I forgot to mention that. The Cullen family… they're, well…." He glanced down at me, and it looked like he was trying to decide how to break some sort of news to me. "They're vampires."

My mouth dropped open in surprise and I shot up into a sitting position, looking at him like he was crazy. '_Guess I forgot to mention that?' What the HELL is wrong with this place? Vampires and Werewolves? What the FUCK. IS. GOING. ON. How could he expect me to be okay with that? Did he FORGET what vampires just did to my family?_

"They aren't like other vampires," he said quickly. "They don't drink human blood, they only hunt animals. They've all been practicing control over that for a long time. They're very safe, _especially _Carlisle, because he's the oldest."

I bit my lip and looked down at the sheets, still scared and doubtful of his word. Like that's better. They _might not _kill you. Oh, great, let's be best friends! They _might _not kill me!

I didn't think Seth would let me back out of it, though. If I was taking care of someone who was acting the way I was, I would definitely call a doctor. A vampire doctor, though, really? Someone is going completely psycho because a vampire just…and you call another vampire to come 'check her over'?

I silently crawled out of the bed and walked over to the suitcase, grabbing some clothes. I turned and looked at Seth pointedly. He looked at the clothes in my hand.

"I'll leave so you can change," he said. He walked out of the door and shut it behind him.

I quickly changed into a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, not really caring what I looked like, and put my hair up in a ponytail. I thought about it for a moment, and then put on a watch. It's strange, but it was comforting knowing something concrete; feeling informed about the time made me feel a little more in control of my situation. I took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom again.

Without making eye contact with Seth or Sue, who were in the kitchen, I went over to the small, shabby couch in the living room and sat down, folding my arms across my chest and keeping my eyes on my lap, although I couldn't help but swing my head around when the door creaked open and then slammed shut.

The girl at the door was one I remembered from the campfire last night.

_Seth's sister, _I thought.

I quickly turned my gaze back to my lap when the girl whipped her head around to look back at me.

"She's _here_?" she said.

The words sounded harsh and accusing, as if I was unwelcome, and I immediately got the feeling she didn't like me. Well, whatever. I had bigger problems. Like trying not to fall into the deep hole of depression and constantly teetering between composed and full out sobbing.

"Yes, Leah," Sue said sternly. "She's here, and she's staying as long as she needs to. She's been through a lot."

"Yeah, _that's _the reason she's here."

I could hear the sarcasm in Leah's voice, and I narrowed my eyes. Did she really think I was here because of Seth? I was _brought _here, it's not like anybody gave me a choice. How could I possibly think about anything except my family right now, especially my getting together with her brother? I put my face in my hands in exasperation and leaned my head back on the couch.

_You will not cry, you will not cry, you will not cry. You will not give her something else to bitch about, and you will not cry because _she _pushed you over the edge. Last night I was numb, I sobbed, I slept for maybe one hour and had the worst nightmares of my life. I _need _to get it together. I'm on my own, really, no matter what Seth says. I am alone. If I want to take care of myself, I have to get through this. I have to. _


	6. Chapter 6

~**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews. As promised, here is chapters six, seven, and eight. Sorry for the first kiss thing-I actually don't think it'll happen for another couple of chapters. But I promise to write super fast, and maybe get to you in a couple days As always, enjoy and tell me what you think! ~**

Chapter 6-Seth

Leah could be really annoying sometimes. Did she not know that Jess could hear everything she said? Just because she was too upset to respond to Leah's hurtful words didn't mean she could make it worse.

"Leah," I said, really pissed off now, but still trying to control myself. "She's here because she belongs here. When I imprinted on her, it was a promise to protect her. That's why she's here, and not anywhere else."

Leah rolled her eyes at me and walked down the hall to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Mom shook her head, and I walked into the living room to sit on the coffee table, so that I was directly in front of Jess.

"I'm sorry about what Leah said," I told her. "Don't take it too personally, ok? She's like that with almost everyone." It hurt to see my sister act so hostile towards my imprint. Especially as damaged as she was right now. I loved Leah, but right now I needed her help and support, not her criticism.

Jess swallowed hard and then whispered very softly, "I've heard worse."

I raised my eyebrows, surprised but elated that she was finally beginning to speak again.

"Do you need anything?" I asked, worried about her and desperate to keep her comfortable. "Are you hungry? Cold?"

She shook her head, keeping her eyes glued to her feet.

"Okay," I said. "If you need anything at all, I'll be right here."

She nodded, and I stood up and walked back over to the kitchen. She looked around the living room and shifted in her seat, tucking her legs up on the couch and leaning her head against the back of it.

_Guess she plans on resting for a while. That's good; it's not like she got much sleep last night. I don't think Carlisle will find anything wrong with her. She seems to be okay, physically that is. _

Once again I found myself overwhelmingly grateful that she was fine. She was alive, and there wasn't a single scratch on her. The emotional mess in her head was another story. Every time I thought about how much pain she was in, I felt like throwing up.

I shuddered, and sat down at the kitchen table to stare at her. It calmed me down, and just looking at her, how perfect she was…it was just _mesmerizing._ I noticed that was fairly common among werewolves and the people they imprinted on, and I could see why.

I remembered listening to Jake's thoughts once when we were running together. He had been thinking about talking to Bella, and she had said that the way we looked at the people we imprinted on made her think of a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. I understood now that that was no understatement, and a pretty accurate metaphor. In a split second my entire life, instead of revolving around my family and pack, changed to revolve around the angelically beautiful girl on my couch.

In about twenty minutes, Jess was deeply asleep, and I lost track of time as I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest and the peaceful look on her face as she slept.

I suppose hours had passed, because it seemed like not ten minutes later that Carlisle knocked on the door. I walked over to Jess and gently shook her shoulder. I felt bad about waking her up, but it was important for Carlisle to see if she was okay. She flinched and then opened her eyes to look up at me.

"Carlisle's here," I said.

She nodded and sat up straight on the couch, and I walked over to the door to let him in. He smiled at me and walked inside.

"Hello Seth," he said.

"Hey, Doc." I said. "She's over on the couch."

He walked over to her and I followed him, curious to see how she would respond to this. He sat down on the couch beside her and she watched him warily.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," he said kindly. "I'm Carlisle." She crossed her arms over her stomach and looked away. I could see from the expression on her face that she was still a little scared because of the whole vampire thing. The set of her jaw told me she was clenching her teeth together, and trying not to cry.

Carlisle turned back to look at me.

"No broken bones, correct?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I don't _think_ there's anything physically wrong with her, but she hasn't really spoken much to me since last night, so I can't be sure." Not much. Just enough to make me go insane with worry.

Carlisle nodded and turned back to Jess.

"Can you turn your head towards me, please?"

She did as he asked, and he held her face in his hands, turning her head sideways and then back again to look in her eyes. He dropped his hands and held a finger in front of her face.

"Follow my finger with your eyes," he said, and took a small red light out of his coat pocket to shine in them.

After she had done what he asked, he put the flashlight back into his pocket and looked at me.

"I think she's fine," he said. "No concussion, and her vitals look good. Just keep her comfortable of course, and make sure she gets enough sleep and that she eats."

"Of course," I said. "Thanks, Carlisle."

"Happy to help," he replied with a small smile. "As always, call if you need anything else at all."

"I will." I said.

He glanced at Jess again, and then left. I watched his car back out of the dirt driveway from the living room window and then sat down beside Jess.

He'd looked sad, but also…guilty. I knew from the stories that Carlisle had never drunk human blood, and that he had tried to kill himself when he was first created. He felt guilty now because it was his species that had done this to her. _His_ species that had ripped this innocent girl's life apart.

I took the remote off of the coffee table, turned the T.V. on, and started channel surfing.

"Anything you want to watch?" I asked. I didn't expect her to answer me, but it wasn't like I was going to be able to pay attention to he T.V. anyways.

She held her hand out, and I gave her the remote, surprised. She flipped slowly through the channels, eventually settling on a popular sitcom, and gave the remote back. I set it on the coffee table and watched with her for a few minutes before she cleared her throat.

"Last night…" she said softly. "Did you call the police? I was surprised when no one was there… I mean, no police officers."

I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable. A police report had been filed obviously, but it didn't really mean anything. The police force didn't _want _to catch the people responsible for _this. _

"Forks doesn't really have a big police force. And Edward's wife, Bella, who is also a vampire, and was only recently changed into one, is the daughter of the police chief. About a week after she was changed, Jake told him about werewolves to distract him when he started getting suspicious about what had happened to her. He knows to trust us when we say something 'supernatural' is going on. But he did call your grandparents with the news."

Jess was quiet for a second, and then looked confused.

"Wait-what does Jake have to do with the Cullens? What do any of the werewolves if you're supposed to be hunting them?" she asked.

"That's a long story," I said smiling. "We don't hunt the vampires, because they don't hunt the humans. The short version of Jake's story is that he was interested in Bella, and was doing whatever he could to get her to see him as more than a best friend. Obviously, it didn't work out the way he wanted it to. Bella got pregnant after she and Edward got married, and carrying the half-vampire baby almost killed her. They turned her at the last moment and she and the baby both survived. The baby's name is Renesmee, and Jake imprinted on her right after she was born."

Jess's eyes widened. "Ummm….wow," she said. "That's kind of a lot to take in. How long ago was Renesmee born?"

"Around two years ago," I replied. "But because of her vampire side, she grows extremely fast. She looks to be about five or six right now, even though she's only one. Well, going to be two in September. She's amazing. I think you'd like her."

Jess was silent at this and turned her attention back to the screen. A few moments later, she turned back to face me.

"Are Emmett and Jasper and Carlisle married as well?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know all the stories," I said "but I know some. Carlisle changed Esme into a vampire after she almost died falling off a cliff. He also saved Edward and Rosalie. Rosalie is Emmett's… well, with vampires they're really more like mates. Anyways, Rosalie brought Emmett to Carlisle after she found him in the woods being mauled by a bear. Bella told me that one. I don't know a whole lot about Jasper and Alice.

They found Carlisle because Alice can see the future. Some vampires have special gifts like that. Edward can read minds, and Jasper can control emotions. Bella can block other people's gifts, and Renesmee does the opposite of what Edward does, she tells people her thoughts by touching them."

Jess stared blankly at me and blinked a few times. "Again, that's a lot to take in."

I leaned back on the couch. "That's exactly what I thought when I first 'shifted into' this world," I told her, chuckling. She rolled her eyes at my lame joke, and I smirked at her. "But you get used to it, I guess."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-Jess

Talking about the Cullens had been a welcome distraction, but in the days following I found myself settling into that depressing, numb state again. I could tell that it worried Seth, but at this point all I could focus on was the constant war raging in my head between all the things I was feeling.

Extreme pain, sadness, hopelessness, and pressure to just give up seemed to be growing the tiniest bit weaker everyday as new emotions surfaced; worry about the rest of my family, courage and bravery about moving on with my life, and that small feeling of curiosity about Seth and my undefined relationship with him.

Were we friends? Or was he just waiting for me to finish mourning so he could make a move? And the biggest question: is that what I wanted? It was true that I felt like I automatically gravitated towards him when we were in a room together, and when we weren't, I would constantly think about him. He provided me with so much comfort and support that I'd started not to feel so alone in the world.

But that tiny nagging teenage part of my brain was still repulsed by the thought of being _expected _to fall for him. It was getting easier and easier to ignore that part, especially because I was also _very _attracted to him. It was embarrassing how long I could stare at him for, getting drawn in by small details like how bright his smile was, or how dark brown his eyes were.

He had caught me staring more than once, and each time I had quickly looked away and turned red, hiding my face from view in embarrassment. I was sure he stared at me too; although he made sure to do it more inconspicuously.

We didn't talk to each other again after that first day. Seth would ask me things and I would nod yes or no, but there were no real conversations. The numbness in me is a lot easier to live with then the pain, and I found it easier just to feel nothing.

Anyways, about two painful, depressing, tear-soaked weeks after 'that night' (it was interesting how my days were now marked not my a calendar, but by the number of days that had passed since 'that night'. It was a little bit like an achievement for me, surviving for one more day, and it reminded me of a prisoner ticking off the number of days until freedom with a piece of chalk), Seth drove me over to the Cullen's place to meet everybody who I hadn't yet (all the female vampires, and Edward and Bella's child, Renesmee).

I had to admit; I was a little excited to meet the half-human half-vampire child that Jacob had imprinted on. As we drove to the house, Seth chattered on about Renesmee to fill the silence, and I listened, genuinely interested in the stories.

When we got to the house, we walked up to the front door and Seth opened it and walked right in. I hesitated in the doorway, and he smiled and said,

"Come on in. Trust me, they know we're here."

I slowly walked into the big white house and looked around at the beautiful décor. You could definitely tell that a lot of time and money had gone into making the house look so beautiful.

Seth took my hand and led me into the kitchen. Seeing everyone, I suddenly felt underdressed. The Cullen's clothes, you could tell, all had designer stylings and were very fashionable, while I was wearing a simple white sundress and a pair of blue flats,

"Hey everyone," Seth said. "This is Jess," he explained, gesturing to me. "And this is Bella, Rosalie, Alice, Esme, and Renesmee." He pointed to each one for me as he said their name. "And of course you've already met everyone else."

Esme and Carlisle were leaning against the oven watching Renesmee color a picture on the breakfast bar. The beautiful brunette Seth had pointed out as Bella sat beside Renesmee, and Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Edward sat at the kitchen table right behind them. Esme gave me a warm smile, and Alice waved energetically. Rosalie looked me over carefully and then turned away. Bella seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, but gave me a small smile.

Renesmee looked at me, cocked her head to the side for a second to study me, and then jumped down off the bar stool to run to my side and grab my hand. A flow of happiness and serenity hit my mind, and I remembered what Seth had told me about her gift. My mind relaxed and welcomed the relief that she offered, and I smiled at her.

"Hello," I said in a soft voice.

She pulled me over to the bar stools and hopped back up onto hers, patting the seat on the other side of her.

I sat down and looked at her picture. It looked like a sketch of the woods beside the house. A really, really, good sketch. Seth had told me that she was extremely smart and talented because her mind was so developed, but it was still amazing to see such a young person display talent like this.

"Oh, you're drawing the woods," I said, smiling at her again. "It looks beautiful. I like all the different shades of green you used for the trees."

Renesmee's eyes lit up and she beamed at me, her face glowing with pride. It was impossible not to love her instantly.

"Thanks!"

Then she gave me a very dark colored crayon, and instructed me on where to use it. I got to work shading in the shadows of the trees as she picked up a reddish-brown crayon and started drawing a figure in the forest. Once I was finished, I put the pencil crayon back to see what she had been drawing, and saw a very accurate drawing of a reddish-brown wolf. I studied it for a moment and then looked at her, pointing to the wolf.

"Is that Jacob?" I asked. She nodded.

"I was so happy I found this color in the set of pencil crayons," she said "because it's the exact same color of his fur when he's a wolf."

"You did a great job," I said, complimenting her again. "It looks very life like."

I tried to remember seeing Seth as a wolf, and picked up a pencil crayon out of the box. "I think this is the color Seth is when _he's_ a wolf," I said.

She held out her hand and I gave her the sandy brown colored pencil. She held it up and studied it. After a few seconds she turned to me.

"I agree," she said. "Should I draw Seth into the woods with Jacob?"

"Great idea," I said smiling. "Please do."

I watched her carefully draw the outline of Seth's wolf form, and then slowly start to fill it in, adding contours for his muscles and using darker browns to shade him in. She drew in the outline of his eyes, and then her fingers hovered over the pencil crayons, trying to decide which color she should use for them. She turned around to look at him, and I picked up a warm dark brown out of the box.

"I think this one is the closest to his eye color," I said, without even looking at Seth. "Except his eyes have more gold in them than this brown does."

I held the pencil crayon out to her and she took it and began carefully coloring in his eyes. I felt everyone's eyes on me and blushed, looking down at the granite countertop.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-Seth

I had predicted Renesmee and Jess would get along, but I didn't expect Jess to react so well. As soon as Renesmee grabbed her hand to pull her over to where she was coloring, it seemed as if something had lit up inside her. It may have just been her hearing Renesmee's happy thoughts, but as I watched them interact with each other after not hearing Jess talk for a week, I thought maybe it was something else.

Jess seemed to really like little kids. And what was with that comment about my eyes just now? I smiled a little.

_Maybe Jess is starting to see me the way I see her. It _would_ explain all the blushing and staring throughout the week. I don't want to rush anything, and the imprinting doesn't seem to work like that. My first priority right now is keeping her happy._

I walked over to the kitchen table and sat down beside Edward. He was staring at Jess and Renesmee and smiling.

"What are they thinking about?" I asked in a low voice so that Jess couldn't hear me.

"She's…. mentally relieved," he said. "She likes children, and having Renesmee around distracts her from her own thoughts. Renesmee's gift can sometimes work like Jasper's also, with her emotions relaying into whomever she's touching. In this situation, Renesmee is like a living antidepressant for Jessica."

I thought about that for a second. It made sense, and I was happy that she was feeling better, even if it was only temporary.

Just then, Jake's car pulled up outside, and Edward turned his head towards the windows as we heard the noise of a second car pulling in behind Jake's. His eyebrows furrowed, and he walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to see who it was. That was weird. Didn't he know who it was just from reading their mind?

"Jessica," he said. She turned her head.

"I think your grandparents just arrived."

Jess looked confused, and got up off of the bar stool to walk out of the kitchen and down the short flight of stairs to open the front door. I got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen in time to see Jess's grandparents hugging her and crying loudly. I stayed back as they fussed over her.

Jake came over to me and explained. "They pulled up to the reservation in a rental car," he said. " They saw me leaving and asked if I knew where Jess was. I told them I was coming here, and that Jess was going to be here, so they followed me."

The selfless part of me was happy Jess's family was here, and hoping that maybe their support and love would help her get better. But the selfish part of me worried that Jess would leave with them, and wished that she would pick me over her family, even if that was unfair of me to hope for. She led them into the living room, and Esme kindly handed them a box of tissues.

By now, everyone else had curiously drifted towards them. When her grandparents had calmed down a little, they turned to Jess.

"Bella," her grandfather said. He had an Italian accent, and I was confused until I remembered that 'Bella' meant 'beautiful' in Italian. "Everything is taken care of with the house, and the car insurance, and the life insurance. It's all been transferred to a private college account that can only be accessed after you are eighteen, and a personal account. You're going to come live with us, and we are going to move into a condominium so we can be closer to your school."

She blinked. "Wait…" she said. "Come back to live with you?"

"Yes," her grandmother replied. "Come back home."

Jess looked as if she was thinking carefully. "Grandma," she said. "I don't think coming back would be a good thing for me. What's left for me there? If I want to… to get better, than I think I have to stay."

Her grandfather looked at her like she was crazy. "Stay here? Stay _here_?" he said. "You want us to let you live in a whole different country than your family when you're only sixteen?"

She looked down at her lap. "Grandpa, I know it sounds wrong, but I think it's what's best for me. I'm old enough to know the difference between what I want and what I need. I want to come and live with you, I really do. But I need to stay here and get better. I need to stay away from things that would only remind me of what I don't have anymore. I need this. Going back home would only hurt me."

After hearing this, her grandparents started arguing loudly with each other in Italian.

Carlisle leaned over and said quietly, "Her grandmother thinks Jess should stay, but her grandfather doesn't want her living with people they don't know."

My heart raced, and I prayed that they would let Jess stay.

Eventually her grandfather turned his attention back to Jess and said angrily, "I'd like to meet these people who you're living with." She nodded.

"Of course, Grandpa," she said confidently. "We can go right now."

He got up and walked over to the door to get his shoes on. "Come on, Liliana" he said.

Her grandmother got up off of the couch and walked over to the front door as well. Jess sighed and came over to where I was standing beside Carlisle.

"I need you to drive us back," she said quietly as we walked out the front door. "You've got to act as disinterested in me as possible. Get into the house before us and tell Sue to say whatever she can to convince them to let me stay. Tell them she's a teen social worker or something, and she's taking me in because she lost her parents and she understands and can help me or some other crap."

I nodded and opened her door for her. She got in, and then I walked around the car to get into the driver's seat.

We were quiet as we drove back to La Push. Every few minutes she would glance at the rearview mirror to check that her grandparents were following us. I walked into the house to talk to my mom while Jess walked out of the car to open her grandmother's door. She was in the kitchen wiping down the island when I came in.

"Mom," I said. "Jess's grandparents are here. They want her to leave, but she thinks she needs to stay to get better. You're a teen social worker, and you're sympathetic because you lost your parents in a car accident when you were eighteen. You're the one that wants to take her in. Don't mention me at all." Mom looked confused and a little overwhelmed, but took a deep breath and walked to the door.

I walked into my bedroom, but left the door open so I could better hear what was going on. I heard my mom greet them warmly, and then invite them in. I heard the scrape of the kitchen chairs against the floor, and then my mother started gushing about how great Jessica was, how helpful, and kind, and basically all around perfect. I didn't doubt that _this _was sincere; she loved Jess. She then got into how she helped kids like Jess all the time, and how she thought that the best thing for Jess would be to stay in a place that would 'allow her to heal'.

In half an hour, Jess's grandparents seemed convinced. They talked with each other in Italian for a few minutes before finally telling Jess she could stay if she contacted them often. I felt as though I had been holding my breath the entire time and I could finally relax. _She's staying here. She's staying with me._


	9. Chapter 9

~**I know I said three, but after the eighth chapter I was just so into it I couldn't stop writing! Here is chapter nine ~**

Chapter 9-Jess

In the morning, when my Grandparents finally left (they stayed the night in Sue's room; good thing Leah had been running a night shift so that I could sleep in her room and Seth could sleep on the couch), they asked if I needed them to do anything. I told them to sell the house back home, and to pack up everything in boxes and send it to me so I could decide what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to sell.

As soon as we were home from the airport, I talked to Sue about what I wanted to do. She agreed, and I got out the phonebook and started calling contractors.

Since there was no fourth bedroom, and only one bathroom, I wanted to use some of the money out of my personal account to put an addition onto the back of the house.

Right now, the house included a kitchen and living room that were right across from one another and had a front door between them, and a hallway behind these rooms containing the doors to the master bedroom and Leah and Seth's rooms, as well as the bathroom.

What I wanted to do was build another hallway perpendicular to the currently existing one so that I could create a bedroom for me, a spare room, and another bathroom. I also planned to build Sue an ensuite as a thank-you, but that was a surprise.

My grandparents had said that if the rest of the family (including my dad's side) helped, they could have everything sent over here in about a month. So all I had to do was find a company that could do everything I wanted in that amount of time.

After dozens of phone calls, I finally found a company willing to do everything that I had wanted and claimed to be able to finish everything in a month, providing I didn't order anything for the addition that would take too much time to ship.

Seth watched me work with his eyebrows raised. I think he was surprised that I was so in control of the situation, but I was determined to stay and it was easy to keep my thoughts off of my family with such a big project that needed attention.

An architect from the company was coming tomorrow to draw up some simple plans, and I got to work cleaning up a little so that it would be easier for him to do his job. It was a little like a rush-order, and it cost a little more, but with the money from the house and the life insurance I received, not to mention the money from every account my parents and siblings had, I could more than afford it.

I went to bed late after cleaning, but still couldn't fall asleep. I didn't feel too good about lying to my grandparents, but I couldn't exactly tell them Seth was a werewolf and that he had imprinted on me, or that I was falling in love with him. It sounds off to think those words- "falling in love". It was embarrassing for me to think them, because all my life I had promised myself I wouldn't be 'that girl' – the one who always needs a boyfriend, or is more concerned with what she thinks is love than doing well in school and surrounding yourself with good people. For me to even think that I was 'falling in love' at fifteen (almost sixteen) after being the good girl who gets perfect grades and rolls her eyes when she sees couples hanging off each other in the school hallways was pretty major. I felt like the biggest hypocrite in the world. I guess it made me feel a little better that the person I was falling in love with was also falling in love with me, and that he was my soul mate. There's nothing wrong with falling in love if you know he's the one, right?

I think that's what a lot of girls tell themselves, especially when they're this young. I kind of feel like life handed me a 'get out of jail free' card with Seth, because there are no doubts about him. I feel like it's a little unfair that I found someone who I know for certain is my soul mate. It's a guarantee, and nobody else (except for the other girls on the reservation who have been imprinted on) has that.

Maybe it was kind of like a trade-off though. True love and happiness in exchange for my family. I meet the love of my life (hopefully) on the same day that I lose my family. It did make sense, in a twisted way. I sighed and rolled over, and when I slept I dreamt of a life with Seth _and_ my family; a beautiful world where I could be happy, and share my happiness with the people who loved me.

The next morning I woke up early and got dressed so that I would be ready when the architect came. When he finally arrived, I led him through the house and explained to him what I wanted to do. We talked for a while about the details of every room, and he drew up a basic floor plan on his laptop.

"I can get this to the contractors by tomorrow," he said just before he left. "They can start work on the project in a few days."

After he left, I sat back down at the table and looked over the printed-out plan. The best part about this renovation was that we could live in the house as it was going on.

I already felt like I was intruding on their home, even though Seth had told me time and time again it was my home too, and that I was just as much a part of the family as anyone else. I would feel terrible if they had to leave their home to live in a hotel for a month just so I could put in a small addition.

When I went to bed that night, I was exhausted from stressing about all this, and I realized that I had probably inherited my mom's habit of worrying about everything and anything she could think of.


	10. Chapter 10

**~Hello everybody! Good news! I just finished the rough copy of the story, but it still needs to be edited chapter by chapter. So, from now on I will be giving you not one, but TWO chapters a day! Yay! :) As always, review and enjoy! (P.S.-The first kiss is in these two chapters!)~**

Chapter 10-Seth

I woke up with a start, knowing immediately something was wrong. My pulse raced, and I flung myself off of the couch to run towards Jess's room. The bloodcurdling screams and sobs coming from behind the door made me feel like I couldn't breathe, and I flung open the door to find her on the bed, curled around a pillow.

"Jess!" I called.

She didn't answer me, and I realized that she was asleep. What nightmare could be bad enough to make you scream in your sleep like this? I felt sick as the answer came to me. I walked over to the bed, sat down, and shook her shoulder.

"Jess!" I called again. "Jess!"

She opened her eyes and shot up into a sitting position. She was literally shaking, and she gasped for air, holding her stomach.

"Are you okay?" I asked, gazing at her worriedly and running my eyes over her in an instinctual check for injuries.

She didn't answer me, just rocked back and forth and tried to catch her breath. As I watched her crying, the instinct to protect her overpowered common sense and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me. She rested her head on my chest and pulled her knees up so that she was sort of half-sitting on my lap. I stroked her hair and her back and hugged her close to me, reveling in the feeling of having her so close to me.

Within twenty minutes she began to relax, and when she had quieted down, she fell asleep on my chest, exhausted, and I carefully set her head back down on the pillow and pulled the soft quilt over her.

I didn't want to go, and I was afraid that if I left it would only happen again. I decided to stay in case she needed me, and pulled an armchair from the living room into the bedroom, putting it close to the bed. I sat down, taking her hand, and closed my eyes.

I woke up at the same time as Jess to a loud noise coming from the kitchen, which meant my mom was up. She looked at me, and then looked at our hands, which were still intertwined on top of the sheets. She quickly pulled her hand away, hesitating as she did so, as if questioning whether or not she wanted to leave it there.

She sat up and started to get off the bed, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Wait a minute," I said. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Thank you for… taking care of me last night," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"Anytime," I said, and really meant it. "Were you having a bad dream?"

"Something like that," she said. She winced, and then continued in a shaky voice, her eyes looking disconnected as she spoke "It was like reliving it, but slower; and I could see everything…" she shuddered and took a deep breath, and could see her fighting against tears that were collecting again in her eyes.

I stood up and used my thumb to carefully wipe away a stray tear. She stiffened when I touched her, then seemed to get more comfortable, leaning towards me. I wrapped my arms around her again, and her shoulders relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from them. Had she been feeling as tense as I had, desperate to be closer to her?

"It's alright," I murmured. "You're safe. I'm here. Everything's fine."

She nodded against my chest and then pulled away from me. She quickly picked up some clothes from the suitcase, and then hurried out of the room to walk into the bathroom across the hall. I heard the lock click, and I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. I was surprised to see that it was Leah, and not my mom, who was there.

"What's wrong with her?" she said, gesturing towards the bathroom. "I'm surprised she didn't wake up the whole damn reservation with that screaming."

"She was... having a nightmare. A really bad one. I took care of it."

Leah snorted. "Whatever. Just tell her to remember that everyone else sleeps too."

"_Leah_." I said, exasperated with her and tired of hearing all the crap that came out of her mouth. "What is _wrong _with you? Can you not show _any_ kindness to someone suffering like that? Especially someone so connected to me that she's almost family to you? If you're jealous about my imprinting on someone, that's fine, but don't take it out on her." '

She whipped her head around to glare at me, and then ran out the front door. Mom walked out of her room and looked at me with her eyebrows raised.

"You heard that, didn't you?" I said.

"Uh huh," she said. "And I have no doubt that Jess did too."

"Leah was asking for it," I said harshly. "She knew it was only a matter of time before she pushed me over the edge."

"Maybe so," my mom said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "but there are much better ways of getting through to her."

I walked over to the living room and sat on the couch, putting my face in my hands and sighing. I wanted Leah and Jess to be like sisters. Hell, I just wanted them to get along. Was it so much to ask of my sister to not be constantly at the throat of the girl I had imprinted on? Maybe the jealous comment was a bit much, because it was everything Leah wanted to be able to imprint on somebody and get over Sam. But that probably _was_ the reason Leah hated Jess so much. She would have hated anybody I had imprinted on, simply because my imprinting on them would throw right in her face the fact that I could be happy and she couldn't. I understood. She had wished for so long to imprint on somebody, anybody, that she immediately resented anyone who had just happened upon it. I hadn't asked for this.

Actually, given the option of imprinting or not, I don't know what I would have chosen to do. If they haven't imprinted yet, a lot of the pack members think that imprinting is like being trapped; being forced to love and protect someone before you even know them. I don't think it's like that at all. If we were normal people, the people that we imprinted on would still be our perfect matches, we just wouldn't know it. I think we're lucky to immediately know who is right for us, but on the other hand, when I think about my awkward relationship with Jess, I wonder if it would have been better to fall in love with someone gradually, learning about them and then falling in love with them, instead of the other way around.

As I was thinking about this, Jess walked into the kitchen and started making herself a bowl of cereal, not even looking at me or Sue. She was dressed casually, in jean shorts and a purple t-shirt, and she ate at the kitchen table in silence.

"I'm going over to Charlie's," Sue said, breaking the stillness.

She grabbed her jacket and walked out the door. I walked over to the table and sat down across from her.

"So…," I started. "I'm guessing you heard what Leah said?"

She looked up, put her spoon down, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes. And I understood. Leah doesn't like me. What I _don't _understand is what you said-about her being jealous."

I sighed. "Leah and Sam were dating when he imprinted on Emily, the girl he was with at the campfire." I admitted. I hadn't told her this story, when I'd told so many others, because i didn't think Leah would like Jess knowing such a personal detail of her life. "They were in love, and she's been bitter and unpleasant ever since. She wishes she could imprint and get over it, but she thinks she shifts because she can't pass on the werewolf gene, and that she'll never imprint on somebody."

Jess's jaw dropped. I thought it was because of the Sam-Emily-Leah story, and I was confused when she said,

"And you just threw that in her face?"

"What?" I said, confused.

"Leah is still hurting over Sam, and you threw in her face the fact that you imprinted and she didn't?" she said accusingly. "How could you do that to her? What am I, your prize? Is there some kind of competition going on that I won for you? Who can imprint first? Do you know how sick it makes me feel to see you act that way towards your sister when I can never see my own sister again? You have no idea how lucky you are, and you just…"

She stood up and stormed out the front door, leaving me still sitting at the kitchen table, stunned and at a loss for words.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11-Jess

I was so upset that angry tears were starting to collect in my eyes. I stopped at the end of the driveway to Seth's house and took a few deep breaths. What was wrong with me lately? My tear ducts were like the Niagara falls these days.

When I had finally calmed myself down, I walked toward the beach, thinking that I would take a nice long walk, and just hope that Seth wouldn't be home when I came back.

As I walked past Jacob's house, I noticed he was getting into his car, and I had a better idea. Why not go visit the Cullens? My visit was kind of cut short yesterday, and hanging out with Renesmee was so much fun. Jake waved and smiled at me as I walked up to his car.

"Hey, Jess," he said. "Where's Seth?"

"At the house." I replied, then quickly changed the subject. "Where are you off to?"

"The Cullen's place," he said.

_Perfect._ "Can I come with you?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Sure.." he said. "Is Seth…"

"I really don't want to be around him right now," I interrupted.

"Okay," he said, still confused. "Hop in."

I opened the passenger side door and slid inside. He started the car and backed out of the driveway.

"So," he said, sounding a little uncomfortable. "Should I ask, or…"

I sighed and looked down at my lap. "I just need to be somewhere away from him to calm down."

He nodded, and we were silent for the rest of the ride. When we pulled up to the house, I opened the passenger door and got out of the car, and followed him up to the front door.

Just as Seth had, Jacob walked right in like he owned the place. Well, i guess he did practically live here; the Cullen house was Jake's home-away-from-home. I walked in after him, and followed him into the living room where Renesmee and Edward were sitting on the couch, listening to a mp3 player. When she saw Jake, she took the earbud out of her ear and ran towards him. He picked her up and hugged her.

Edward stood up and nodded to him. "Hello Jacob," he said. "Jessica."

"Hello," I replied politely.

Everything just seemed so proper in this house, pristine down to the very last inch. Renesmee grinned at me over Jacob's shoulder and I smiled widely and waved at her.

"Hey, Renesmee," I said. "Did you finish that picture you were working on yesterday?"

She giggled. "Yes!" she said. "Do you want to see it?"

"Of course I do!" I said.

She jumped down from Jacob's arms and ran off, and I sat down on the couch to wait for her. Edward and Jacob seemed to be having a sort of silent conversation, and I guessed that they were talking about me and Seth. Edward quickly looked away as I thought this, and I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm human, not blind." I said. "But if you must know, the fight was about Leah. And it was mostly composed of my yelling at him while he sat there with his jaw dropped to the floor."

Jacob's eyes flashed up to meet mine and then quickly away, and he bit back a smile.

"_Hilarious, _I know" I said sarcastically, glaring at Jake.

He immediately wiped the smile off his face and looked down at his feet, and I felt bad. Sure, they were being rude, but so was I. And I knew it wasn't right to take my anger out on them. I was about to mumble an apology when Renesmee walked back into the room and held out a piece of paper.

"Thanks," I said, putting the huge smile back on.

I _was_ getting really annoyed with everybody talking about me and Seth. Although this vampire-werewolf-imprinted human mess would make one hell of a reality series.

Edward laughed at that, and I rolled my eyes and looked at the picture. My mouth dropped open as I looked at the paper, which seemed more like a photograph than something drawn with pencil crayons. Renesmee's attention to detail and talent for capturing movement and life was comparative to paintings that hung in famous art museums worldwide.

"Renesmee, this is _beautiful,_" I said. "I…I love it."

I wanted to compliment specific components of the art, but I didn't know where to start.

"The reflective look of their eyes is so life-like, and you can tell there's a breeze in the forest because of the way their fur is ruffled, and you can see the impact their feet have on the ground when they run… Renesmee, it looks like a photograph!"

She beamed at me, and said "Thanks!" Then she turned the paper around and pointed to where she had written my name. She touched my hand, and I saw an image of me putting it the fridge in Seth's house. I looked at her in surprise.

"You want to give it to _me?" _

She nodded and said, "It's for when Seth is running, and you miss him. I thought it would help to have that drawing, so you can picture what he's doing."

I put the picture down on the coffee table and hugged the precious little girl to me.

"Thank you so much," I said. "I think it's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten, really. And I think it will help, I do miss him when he's out running."

"You're welcome," she said pulling away from me and smiling.

Just then, Jasper and Emmett walked into the room. Emmett hopped the back of the couch to sit down beside me, grabbed the remote from the coffee table, and turned the T.V. on, draping one huge arm across the back of the couch behind me.

I looked at him, incredulous at his comfort level around me when I'd just barely met him, and he grinned at me and said,

"What's up, Jess? Hiding from your boyfriend? What'd he do, chew up your good pair of slippers?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Actually, I can't find my good pair of bunny slippers," I said. "I think I might have left them here. Did your girlfriend try to hunt them?"

Emmett threw his head back and laughed. "She was a little too busy to hunt yesterday," he said, waggling his eyebrows and grinning at me. "Seth didn't have that problem though, did he?"

"Emmett," Edward interjected. "Stop-"

"No," I retorted, interrupting Edward. "But I remember Rosalie looking a bit bored yesterday… I think maybe she would have preferred hunting."

Jake's mouth dropped open at my blatant suggestion that Emmett was boring Rose in _that _way. It was Jasper who laughed this time, and he said,

"Give up Emmett, I don't think you can make this one blush so easily."

Edward smiled at that, and I leaned back on the couch to focus on the game.

"So," I said. "Who exactly is playing who?"

Emmett looked at me weirdly. "You mean you don't know?"

"I'm Canadian-Italian," I said, rolling my eyes at him "We watch hockey and soccer. I know almost nothing about baseball."

Emmett rolled his eyes back at me. "Florida and Los Angeles" he said.

"Who are you rooting for?" I asked.

"Florida," he answered.

"Well then let's go L.A.," I said enthusiastically, rubbing my hands together.

Emmett snorted and held out his hand to me. "Five bucks on Florida," he challenged.

"You are so on." I said, shaking his hand. I knew five dollars meant next to nothing to a billionaire vampire, but it was more about the bragging rights.

Despite his gigantic ego, I found myself actually starting to like Emmett. Of all the vampires living in this house, he was definitely the most laid-back and easygoing one, and it was easy to relax around him. I felt a little jumpy around everyone else, except of course Renesmee.

"So where is everybody?" I said, looking at Edward.

"Bella, Alice, Rose, and Esme are hunting, and Carlisle's at the hospital" he said.

"Girls night out," I said to myself, smiling a little bit. Just then, Renesmee skipped over to where I was sitting and jumped into my lap, pressing her hand to my cheek. I saw us sitting in the forest together, laughing. I smiled at her.

"You know, I think you're the friendliest person I've ever met. I've got a bet going with Emmett right now, maybe we can take a walk afterwards?"

"Sure," she said, smiling back at me. She hopped off my lap and skipped over to where Jake was sitting, at the opposite end of the couch.

The game was ending, and Emmett was scowling at the smug smile on my face as I tucked his five dollar bill in my pocket. Just then, I heard the front door open, and a voice I immediately recognized as Seth's frantically called out my name.

It was amazing how attuned I had become to him in the two short weeks I had known him. I stood up in surprise, and he called my name again as he walked into the living room. When he saw me, he ran forwards and grabbed my arms.

"Thank God you're okay," he said "I was so worried about you that I was driving everyone else crazy."

"What? Why?" I said, temporarily forgetting in my confusion that I was supposed to be mad at him.

"Jess.." he said slowly, "They came back. The vampires that… the vampires that were here two weeks ago."

As what he had said sunk in, I froze and turned deathly pale. I was right. I was right, I was right, I was right. They came back for me. I started shaking, and frightened tears rolled down my face. Yup, Niagara falls.

"It's okay!" Seth said quickly. "Everything's okay. We…We took care of it. It's over."

I was still crying, and Seth bent his head close to mine.

"I said I would always protect you," he said softly. "and you have to trust me. Just please, _please _never do that to me again."

I looked up to meet his eyes, and there was so much love and concern and pure goodness in them that I couldn't help but lean forwards and press my lips to his, closing my eyes.

It was at that exact moment that I gave up trying to fight everything that Seth made me feel. I could barely even remember why I had in the first place.

Seth seemed surprised at the kiss, but after a moment of stunned stillness, his lips moved against mine. My breath caught, and all of the frustration I had been feeling over the past two weeks poured itself into that kiss. I was suddenly very aware of just how close to me every part of him was, and of every inch of his skin that was touching mine.

His lips pressed against mine forcefully, but he held me as if I were as delicate as a ceramic doll. His grip on my arms had loosened, with one hand holding my face, his rough fingertips brushing against my cheek, and the other hand on my waist, his thumb stroking my skin through my shirt. I was completely happy in his arms, not even caring about the five other people in the room. When I was kissing him, the only thing reminding me I wasn't really in heaven was the solid floor beneath my feet.

_Wow. _I thought. _I could really get used to this. _

When I finally pulled my lips from his, my bottom lip scraping slightly against his teeth, I slipped my hands from his broad shoulders and snuggled into his chest, closing my eyes once more. He wrapped his strong arms around me, just as he had done this morning, and pressed his cheek to the top of my head. I never thought I would ever be brave enough to do this; be the girl in that book or that movie that kisses the guy, makes the first move. With teenage relationships, an awkward set up by a friend was the most you could hope for, if you were the type person who was embarrassed when other people talked about your love life, like I was.

But this was _Seth_.. and I could be that girl with him.


	12. Chapter 12

~**Hey everybody, here is chapters 12 and thirteen, enjoy and tell me what you think! Also: I was thinking of writing another story, this time about Renesmee and Jake (when she reaches maturity and whatnot)when i'm finished with this story? Review and tell me what you guys think of that idea!~**

Chapter 12-Seth

Whenever I had envisioned kissing Jess, or dreamed about it (I knew it was wrong when she was so _not_ ready for a relationship, but it was hard not to), I thought for sure my pulse would race, and my thoughts would be scattered. But as I stood here with this irresistible brown haired girl nestled in my arms, I was as calm as a clear sky. Every cell in my body was completely focused on her; her smell, her stillness, the way her skin was cold, but warmed under my touch. I was completely content as she pressed herself against me, and I was so distracted by having her so close to me, thinking about how much I wanted to know her like _this-_ that I almost didn't hear her whisper,

"Can we go home now?"

I lifted my head and smiled down at her.

"Of course," I said.

She pulled away from my arms and wiped the tears from her cheeks, taking a deep breath. Then she turned to Renesmee, who was sitting on Jake's lap, and held her arms open. Renesmee hugged her and Jess kissed her cheek. She let go of her, took something off the coffee table, and blushed as she waved goodbye to Emmett, Edward, and Jasper, probably embarrassed by their seeing our passionate display of PDA.

She turned back to me, slipping her hand around my arm in a gesture that was somehow more personal than hand holding, something that said she wanted to be close to me, and looked up at me as if to say, _Ready to go?_

On the way home, I could barely concentrate on the road. It was _now_ that my mind was spinning- _now_ that I was trying to figure out what to do. What to say to her, how to proceed with the physical barrier she'd just breached. I was a little disappointed that that barrier had been breached by her, actually. When I thought about a romantic relationship starting between us, I had always envisioned myself making the first move. Knowing Jess, though, I probably should've seen something like this coming. It wasn't that she was throwing herself at me, or overly romantic, or desperate, just that I could tell she was a confidant person who knows what they want. I was perfectly happy fitting into _that_ category.

As I pulled into the driveway, I looked over at Jess. She seemed to be thinking hard about something, biting her bottom lip and looking out of her window. I frowned as I saw Leah pass by the living room window. How was I going to talk to Jess with my bitter sister around? It wasn't like I could fight back when I heard those biting remarks, given the response Jess had to our fighting this morning. I sighed and turned to Jess. At the sound, she looked over at me, breaking her concentration.

"Leah's home," I said, rolling my eyes.

Jess screwed her mouth to the side and turned to the house.

"Is there anywhere we can go to talk?" she asked. "Somewhere far enough away that even people with supernatural hearing won't be able to eavesdrop?"

I immediately thought about the cliff that was a fifteen minute walk from here, the one we used for cliff diving. Nobody would be there right now, and it was far enough away. It was a nice place to sit and think, especially after a run, and Jess wouldn't be in danger of falling with me there.

"Are you afraid of heights?" I asked her, partly because I didn't want to take her somewhere that would scare her, and partly because I was suddenly very curious about it.

What _was_ she scared of? I would have to remember to ask her that sometime.

"Not usually," she said frowning. "I think I'll be okay with you there."

That made me smile again. I knew she trusted me, (what reason could she have not to?) but it was still nice to hear it out loud. Like the difference between _knowing _someone loves you and having them say it. It makes it more real. I walked around the car to open her door for her, and we walked in silence towards the left end of the beach. She followed closely behind me, and every few seconds she would dart her eyes towards the forest nervously.

_Of course she's nervous. I _just _told her that the vampires that killed her entire family were just here. She's going to be a little jumpy, even if she knows they're gone now. I hope she doesn't notice the smoke from where they're burning the monsters, but then again it's pretty hard to miss. She probably just doesn't want to ask. Good. Things that remind her of what happened that night tend to get her back into that crying, depressed pattern. Man, it kills me to see her like that. _

Thinking about that had me reflexively looking back to check on her, and she met my gaze. Taking advantage of the fact that I had her attention, I held my hand out to her hopefully. She took it, smiling wider, and squeezed my palm.

It was nice, holding her hand. Feeling the softness of her skin made me happy, reminded me she needed me, even if it was only to keep her safe in the supernatural world she now lived in. I frowned as I noted the temperature of her skin. It always felt like she was cold, but that was probably just because her body temperature was always lower than mine. Still, every time I touched her I felt the instinct to get her a blanket or something. Ridiculous, I know, but this was how it was being imprinted. Always thinking of Jess, and never myself. The nice side to that was that I always felt good about myself. I had never considered myself selfless before. Maybe that was another way to describe imprinting. Becoming selfless.

We were climbing uphill now, going into the forest. It was an unusually sunny day, but we were shaded in the forest because of the leaves blocking the sun's rays. As wolves, we could see in the darkness just fine, and when we were in human form, our eyesight was only slightly diminished, so I could see in the semi-dark forest perfectly. I guess Jess was a little uneasy about the gloomy feel though, especially when _she _didn't have such perfect eyesight, and she leaned closer to me.

Within a few minutes, we had gotten to the cliff's edge, and I sat down to look out onto the ocean. Jess sat down carefully beside me, one hand on my shoulder to keep herself steady. This time, _I_ took _her_ hand (although it was partly because of where we were, with me a little worried about her falling), and studied her expression.

"Is this okay?" I asked.

"Perfect."

I waited with my eyebrows raised, and she smiled ruefully at me.

"It's been hard not to talk to anyone about what's going on inside my head," she said, looking down at the calm water below us. "It sounds cheesy and cliché, but talking really is what gets me through my problems. I don't know why, but telling people about them makes me feel less alone in them, you know? It helps me put things in perspective, and I always like hearing different opinions, solutions…" her voice trailed off, and processing her words I realized I should've tried to communicate with her more during that first week.

It struck me that she was someone who loved being around people, loved to talk and make people laugh. That was probably why she loved kids so much. They were so vibrant and full of life that it made her happy just to be around them.

"During those first awful two weeks," she said, speaking again, "it was hard not telling someone how I felt. But there was really no one who I could confide in yet, and that made it even worse."

I felt a little hurt at this, but I guess it made sense. She continued, and I focused on her again.

"It wouldn't help for me to talk about those feelings now, because they would only remind me of why I felt them, and make me feel them again. But it does help to talk about what I'm feeling now…" she blushed, and I smiled, anxious to hear what she had to say.

"I feel guilty," she said glancing at me quickly to judge my reaction.

I must have looked as confused as I felt, because she sighed and explained.

"I think I had a better recovery than most people would to this sort of thing, because as soon as I lost my family, and all their love, I got you and yours. And I know that guilty is not the healthy way to feel, but I do feel guilty. Like I shouldn't be happy without them, and with you. I'm still… mourning, and I won't ever really stop, but it will be easier to live without them if I have you."

"Hold on a second," I said seriously. "Don't say that you lost your family's love. You didn't. They still love you, they're just not with you. And I know you know this already, and it's been said a thousand times before, but you really have to believe they want you to be happy. That's the only way you're ever really going to live your life again."

"I know," she said quietly. "So we should probably talk about what that kiss meant, huh?"

I laughed at the not-so-delicate way she brought it up, and then nodded. "Yes, I think we do need to talk about that."

"When I kissed you…" she began, and then started stammering in her embarrassment, "I…I gave up fighting against how you were making me feel. I want _that_ kind of relationship with you, and I think it would be good for me. For both of us. I…I _want _that with you."

She turned to look at me again, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me. I stroked her face with my other hand, my fingers caressing her cheekbone, and kissed her gently, for a short second, to tell her without words that that was exactly what I wanted.

She seemed to relax, and leaned against me.

"So that leaves us… together?"

I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Together."

She stayed curled against my side for a few minutes, and then took off her light jacket.

"You're really warm all the time," she noted curiously.

"It's a werewolf thing," I said dismissively. "By the way- what's that in your pocket?"

I was talking about the thing she had taken with her when we left the Cullen's.

"Oh, that," she said smiling. "Renesmee finished the picture I was helping her with yesterday, and she wanted me to have it."

She held it out to me, and I looked it over. Like Renesmee had said yesterday, it was a picture of Jake and I running in the forest. It was really good, even for Renesmee's usual perfection. Jess pointed at the figure of the sandy-brown wolf, still smiling.

"She gave it too me so that I would miss you less when you were out running."

"You miss me?" I said surprised.

"Yeah," she said absentmindedly, seeming to think of something else. Then she turned back towards me and sighed. "Miss you, worry about you. The whole thing."

"Worry about me? What could you have to be worried about?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a few stray vampires?" she said sarcastically.

I shook my head. "You know, protecting people from vampires is kind of what we do. Don't you think we would know how to handle ourselves with them?"

"Well, yes," she conceded, "But it's still scary to think of you going up against one."

"You know," I said, grateful for the opportunity to brag, "Last summer I went one-on-one with newborn vampire, back when Bella was still human."

Jess winced and pulled herself closer to me.

"I don't need to know," she said quickly. "I don't want to picture that."

I laughed, and said teasingly, "Don't worry, I won."

She shook her head and then stood up.

"Are we going back to the house now?"

"Sure," I said.

I wasn't in a hurry to get back, because I was pretty sure Leah was still there, but I was happy to do whatever Jess wanted. I held her hand as we walked back, and asked her about her friends back home. She was perfectly happy to chatter on about them, and what they were like. She described going to school with them, going on bike rides and to the mall, how she was always laughing around them. I liked hearing about her life.

"Have you called them since…"

"No," she said quickly. "They called once, during that first week; I guess my grandparents told them. I didn't pick up, because I didn't want to talk about…that… over the phone. Maybe I should call them back. They're probably worried about me."

I nodded and held open the front door of the house for her. She walked into the house and into my room, where all of her stuff was. I got myself a glass of water and went to sit down at the kitchen table.

Leah was on the couch watching T.V., too focused on whatever was on to bother me or Jess. Jess walked back out of my room a few minutes later, cell phone in hand. She fiddled around with it for a few minutes before pressing it to her ear. With her other hand, she opened the fridge and started looking around, eventually pulling out some things for sandwiches.

"Thanks" I mouthed at her.

She smiled at me, then said "Hello?" into the phone.

I moved over to help her with lunch, and so that I could more easily listen to her conversation.

"Can I talk to Julia, please?" she asked to whoever was on the phone

"... Hey Julia, it's me… no I'm…Julia, don't cry, I'm okay. Well, not okay but… No I'm not coming back…because I think it would be better for me to stay here…Yeah, I've built up a pretty good support system for myself… It was really bad the first week, but I'm holding it together, you know? ... Julia, it is _not _about a boy… okay, fine, a little, but it's not what you think… I _want_ to see you guys… oh seriously? Amanda's there? Let me talk to her…. Hey Amanda, I…no, I'm _fine…_ I'm going to see if I can fly you guys out here before school starts, okay? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Email me, okay? Yeah, love you guys too… okay. Bye."

She hung up the phone and put it on the counter, and then gathered up the sandwich stuff to put it back in the fridge. When she turned back to me, she looked sad.

"You miss them," I stated.

She nodded. "I really do want to see them. And I can afford to bring them all here… I just don't want to put them in danger. Would it be safe for them?"

"Of course," I said. "And all of the renovations will be done by then, they could stay in that spare room you want to build."

She half-smiled and nodded again. "I guess so. It's weird, them being worried about me. I was always the… the _supportive_ one, you know? Helping other people, giving them advice. I'm pretty independent, and it's strange to have so many people wanting to _help._"

Leah snorted on the couch. "Wow, Canada must be a lot quieter now that you're _here_," she said snidely.

Jess's eyes flashed, and she turned to Leah "maybe you should go over there and balance things out," she said coolly. "You seem to have a pretty big mouth yourself."

Leah turned around to glare at her, and opened her mouth, probably to offer some sort of hurtful comment. I interrupted her before she really got into it with Jess.

"Leah, cool it with the insults. She didn't do anything to deserve them."

I turned to Jess. "And what were you saying this morning about not fighting with Leah?"

Jess glared at me, then, and snapped,

"She's not _my _sister."

Then she picked up her sandwich and strode by me to sit at the kitchen table.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13-Jess

The next day, the head contractor came to take a look at the house to determine what materials he would need, and when he could start on the project. I explained to him what I wanted again (although he had brought the drawings the architect had made with him) and told him he could start on the house immediately. He called in a few other guys, and by the end of the day they had dug around the wall outside of the house, where they would have to extend the foundation of the house.

Tomorrow, they said, they would take down the wall there and begin constructing the base. I went to bed again, tired, and Seth must have been worried about me having more nightmares, because when I woke up, he was there beside the bed, sleeping in the old armchair from the living room. I stayed there a minute, staring at him, and then I quietly slipped out of bed and grabbed my clothes, tiptoeing to the washroom. I didn't want to wake him up when he looked so peaceful, and I felt bad about him not getting that much sleep last night, so I wanted him to sleep in today.

The next few weeks were a blur of construction noises, and overseeing everything that was being done. I was sure the workers were getting annoyed with all of my questions, but I needed this to go smoothly. All of the moving boxes were going to arrive here any day now, and I was nervous that we weren't going to finish in time. But we did, and I even had a few days to clean up.

Every night since my whole nightmare episode, Seth had stayed in the armchair by his bed to make sure I was all right. I felt guilty for his having to sleep in a chair, but I was grateful that he stayed with me. It felt like if he _wasn't _there, the nightmares would happen, like he was my own personal dream-catcher. That was kind of ironic, actually, because of his Native-American background. As for the whole romance thing… well, it kind of died down a little during the construction because I was so busy, and because it's hard to have a real moment with someone when someone else was using a jackhammer in the background. I _had_ gotten a lot more comfortable around him, and more used to the idea of us being a couple.

Anyways, when the big truck finally did arrive (It had cost _a lot_ of money to ship _everything _over here, but my aunts and uncles and grandparents had pitched in to do it for me, and I was really grateful), I was ready to dive into the big job of sorting everything into what I could keep, and what I had to sell.

The hardest part, I knew, was going to be selling things that had belonged to my siblings or my parents. When I had finally unloaded all the boxes into the house, with the help of Seth and a few of the other freakishly strong werewolves, I got to work. Using all the boxes conveniently marked with my name, I quickly got my room together, and it looked sort of like it had before. Same light brown wooden furniture, 'treasure-chest' shaped box of odds and ends, bookshelf piled high, CD shelf beside vases of shells from vacations I'd gone on, and a princess worthy white lace curtain in front of the window. All very girly and comforting. After I had put in my old green skirted chair, my pink floral comforter, and hung my pictures and a few posters on the wall, I felt almost at home again. I sat in the middle of the bed, grateful that Seth was in the living room sorting through some other boxes with Sue, and let a few tears loose.

I gave myself a few minutes to think about the empty room back home…but no, _this_ was home now. That place was just… nothing now. Without my family, it wasn't really home anymore. I wiped away the tears and walked into the living room.

Seth was admiring the flat-screen T.V., and Sue was outside looking at the beige leather sectional. I walked onto the small patio and said,

"Sue, take whatever you want, the couch, kitchen stuff, anything. Everything has to be sold anyways."

"Thanks," she said smiling. "Could you ask Seth to help me switch out the couches?"

"Sure," I said, happy that I wouldn't have to sell the couch. It was pretty comfortable, and one of the things I'd been most looking forward to arriving.

"I think he's just finishing hooking up the T.V. now."

All of this was making me feel a little bit…spoiled. We weren't rich, just… comfortable, but I still felt embarrassed as Paul tried to figure out how to work the remote for the flat-screen.

When the kitchen and living stuff was settled (Sue had opted to keep most of her own kitchen supplies), I looked through the furniture to decide what would go in the guest bedroom. It was a big room, and it even had it's own bathroom along with the one next to my bedroom (I hadn't been able to get Sue her own bathroom, but at least we had three in the house now. That was more than enough for four people). I decided to put the two twin beds that had belonged to my brothers in there, along with Sarah's dresser and my parent's nightstands and lamps.

In the living room, I squeezed in my piano against the wall opposite the large windows. I didn't want to sell it, because though I wasn't very good at it, I liked to buy sheet music and play. Except for my things, almost everything else was going to have to be sold. I would have to get Seth to take me out to Seattle for the whole day so I could find a bunch of secondhand stores to sell this stuff to.

At the end of the day, the house was finished, and all the boxes of things to be sold were in the garage. I was exhausted, physically and mentally from the stress of all this moving and renovating. I was so glad it was finally done. I changed into a pair of comfy pajamas (short shorts and an old t-shirt) and walked out of my room to say goodnight to everyone.

Seth was in the living room watching T.V., and I sat down beside him on the new (and old) couch. He turned to look at me and smiled.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey," he replied.

"I'm going to bed," I told him. "Thanks for letting me steal yours the past few weeks."

"No problem," he said. "You can steal it anytime."

I kissed his cheek and walked back down the hallway.

"Goodnight, Sue!" I called into her room.

"Goodnight!" she replied after a moment.

I didn't even bother with Leah, as we weren't exactly getting along any better since our kind-of fight. If anything, it got worse everyday. I know Seth didn't like it that his sister and his soul mate-girlfriend-thing, whatever I was, didn't get along, but how could anyone get along with someone who hates them for no apparent reason? I was done trying to get Leah to like me; I'm sure I can find a way to live with her anyways. I would never have done this to Matthew's girlfriend, if he had had one recently before the accident. I mean sure, I would mess with him and tell her embarrassing stuff about Matthew and be annoying for the first few weeks, but I would never be downright rude or just _cold. _Ugh. I got too worked up thinking about this.

I sighed and got into bed, closing the light. It was comfortable, and reminded me of life before the accident, but was somehow lacking after spending a month sleeping in Seth's bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

~**Helloooo everybody! Here is chapter 14 and 15, I hope you like them! I still haven't decided if the next two chapters are going to be the last ones or** **not...but I _have _decided that I'm going to start on the Renesmee-Jacob story once I'm finished with this one! Yay! Okay, so about these two chapters: First of all, I always told myself I wouldn't put song lyrics in my stories, but I did. Yeah, just call the hypocrite police, but I had to. They were so perfect! Second of all, there _is _a little more drama with Leah (I just love writing mean Leah! It's so much fun :) ), I promise everything will be worked out in end (of the story, not the chapter). Wow, this is a long author's note. Okay, well, enjoy and review!~_  
_**

Chapter 14-Seth

_God, not again!_

I shot up and ran into Jess's room, my eyes half closed from exhaustion. It was like deja vu; the screams, the crying, the terror ripping through me as I stood at the doorway and saw all the pain and fear she was keeping bottled in.

I walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed, stroking her hair to calm her down. I felt guilty all of a sudden, like I was demanding a relationship from her that she wasn't ready to have. She had _said _it was what she wanted, and I didn't doubt her feelings for me, but was she underestimating the amount of time she needed to get through this? I shook my head. It was too late to think about this.

Jess quieted down some, drifting off again next to me, and I leaned my head back against the headboard.

_I'll just close my eyes for a few seconds, then go back to my room. Just a few seconds…_

I woke up to the light from Jess's window illuminating the room and was disoriented for a minute. Why was I in Jess's room? Hadn't I…oh. I must have fallen asleep in here.

My arms were curled protectively around Jess, and she was snuggled right up against me, with her head on my chest. Her lips were parted slightly, and she sighed in her sleep.

_I_ certainly didn't mind it, but I didn't want to scare Jess when she woke up, and I wasn't exactly sure what her reaction was going to be if she found me sleeping in her bed.

I slowly moved one of my arms off of her, and she opened her eyes. She looked confused when she saw me, and then looked down at where her head had been a second ago. She pulled away, her face pink.

"Sorry," she said quickly.

"What are you apologizing for?" I asked.

"The nightmare," she replied, looking away. "Thanks for helping me out. And sorry you didn't get to sleep in your own bed."

I smiled at her.

"Actually," I said "I don't mind. That was the best sleep I've had in a while."

Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly leaned past me to look out into the hallway. Then she leaned back and said in a hushed voice, "Seth, we can't sleep in the same bed! Imagine what Sue would think! What _everyone_ would think! I'm barely sixteen!"

"Well, we can't exactly sleep in different rooms," I replied, "I'd just have to come right back here every night. What's the point of that? Wouldn't you rather face a little gossip than have those awful nightmares?"

She winced, and I could tell she knew I was right.

"Seth…" she said "It's been ingrained in me since birth that sex before marriage is wrong. I went to a _catholic school_ for God's sake. And I know it wouldn't be like that," she said quickly, seeing my expression, "But it would still… feel like I wasn't doing the right thing."

"I understand," I said gently. "But it's been ingrained in _me_ since I met you to protect you. You can't imagine how painful it is to watch you have those terrible nightmares. I hate being helpless to protect you from something."

Her face turned down, and I could tell she didn't like the idea of me in pain anymore than I liked the idea of her in pain. She bit her lip, deliberating, and then said,

"Okay. _One _night, we see how it goes."

I rolled my eyes and got up off the bed.

"By the way," I said leaning down to look her in the eye. "Good morning."

I held her face gently in my hand and kissed her. Her shoulders relaxed, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her lips were so warm and soft, fitting perfectly to mine. I sat back down on the bed, and pulled her onto my lap, slipping my fingers underneath the hem of her shirt to rub her back slowly and soothingly. She immediately broke away and shook her head, looking dazed.

"Okay," she said "kissing on a bed-_not_ a good idea if you know what I mean."

I laughed and hugged her close to me, then slid her off of my lap and onto the bed. I got up and walked out of her room to make us something to eat.

What had I gotten myself into? She was right about one thing, at least. What in the world would my mother say? She was usually cool with everything Leah and I did, trusting us to be adults and supporting our decisions. It wasn't like she could control what we did, especially when we were wolves. This sleeping-in-the-same-bed-as-my-girlfriend-so-she-doesn't-have-nightmares was sure to cross some kind of line with her, though. And why shouldn't it?

Who would believe that that was the _only _reason why we were doing it? _I_ wasn't even sure that was the only reason. I could only speak for myself of course, but it seemed like adding fuel to the fire to me. Oh well. What other choice did we have? Maybe the new couch would mellow mom out some… yeah right. Or not. I smirked as I imagined how she would take it as I made myself and Jess breakfast (all she ever had for breakfast was cereal anyways, it wasn't like I could mess that up).

When Jess finally came out of the bathroom and sat down to eat, shooting me a quick smile and a "Thanks!" I unconsciously stopped eating to stare at her. She had showered, and her wet hair looked almost black, and was beginning to curl slightly around the edges to frame her face. Her long eyelashes curled naturally upwards, and her skin had a beautiful tan glow. She had put on some sort of moisturizer that smelled like a mixture of flowers and vanilla, and my enhanced senses allowed me to smell it from across the table. I reached over it to stroke her cheek with my hand.

_So soft._

She looked up and smiled at me.

"Not hungry?" she said, laughing.

"You're a little distracting," I said, smiling back at her.

"Thanks," she said, turning her focus back to her cheerios.

She wouldn't eat any kind of sugary cereal like Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops because she claimed it made her 'feel sick to eat something so sugary in the morning'. Actually, when it came to eating, she was pretty health-conscious. Whole wheat bread, no fried food, the whole bit. I had asked her about it before, and she had said this was the way her mom cooked, it was good for you, and she was used to it. I think it might have also been a Canadian thing though, eating healthier. Not that I had anything to worry about. Werewolves didn't really get sick, and it was a good thing too, because we weren't very picky about what we ate, especially when we were wolves.

When we had finished eating breakfast and washing our dishes (Jess insisted on doing an excessive amount of chores, and she hated to leave dishes on the counters for more than five minutes), we got to talking about movies. Apparently, I've been living under a rock because I haven't watched 'classics' like all the Disney movies and superhero movies. Thankfully, Jess spared me from Cinderella, and she eventually decided we should watch "Thor".

I guess I really hadn't watched a lot of movies as a kid, because I couldn't really sit down and pay attention to a movie for more than five minutes. Then when I was older, I was running shifts for Sam, and then for Jake when I joined his pack. In fact, I phased for the first time a few months before a vampire war, and the constant problems only died down less than a year ago, with a massive standoff against the Volturi. In short, I hadn't had a lot of leisure time for a while.

Watching a movie with Jess was nice. She sat curled up next to me, just like she was last night with her head against my chest. I had my arms around her, and I inhaled her warm, clean, vanilla-flower scent. The movie was good, I guess. I mean, any movie with superpowers and fighting and random explosions is going to capture a guy's attention, and I could tell Jess liked the whole romance aspect of the film, as well as the science-fiction stuff with the parallel dimensions.

When the superhero and his love-interest kissed at the end of the movie, she cuddled closer to me and sighed. I turned it off as the credits came on and turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were closed.

"Tired?" I asked.

"No," she said, "Just really comfortable. And happy."

"About what?" I asked.

"I'm sitting on my couch with my very own superhero," she said. "Literally and figuratively."

I laughed at that. "I'm not much of a superhero," I reminded her.

"You're pretty close," she said smiling.

I put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up so I could kiss her. I sure was kissing her a lot today. Not that i was complaining. Far from it.

I pressed my lips to hers, and tightened my hold on her waist so I could slide her onto my lap. She sighed and wrapped her legs around my waist, pressing her body closer to mine, and I smiled against her lips at her enthusiasm. She kissed me back, her lips moving slowly against mine. I moved the hand that was around her waist so it was against the small of her back, pressing her even closer to me. You couldn't have slipped a piece of paper between us. She seemed to know exactly what would make me crazy, and it was hard to believe that our first kiss at the Cullen house had been _her_ first as she ran her teeth over my bottom lip and curled her fingertips into my hair. She pulled away after a minute and got up of the couch. "Come on," she said, holding her hand out to me and smiling. "You made breakfast, I'll do lunch."

She seemed to have bounced back quickly from the nightmare, because she was happy as she heated up some leftovers for lunch. She turned the radio on and sang along to all the new hits, never missing a word. She swayed along to the music, and I leaned against the counter to watch her. She had a nice voice, not super-star fantastic but it was sweet somehow, and she could carry a tune easily. She made me laugh when she rapped along to a part of the song, and turned around to smile at me as she sang.

It was funny how much I laughed when I was with her, and how captivated I was whenever she was around. She turned the radio off and put plates on the table, and as we ate she chattered about her favorite music, singing me songs I didn't know and interrogating me about ones I did-what I liked about them, what I thought they meant, when I'd first heard them.

"You're really into music, aren't you?" I said.

She raised her eyebrows. "Of course!" she said. "I love music. Playing it, hearing it, writing it."

"Writing it?" I repeated, surprised.

"Songwriting," she explained. "I like writing song lyrics. I'm not quite good enough to write notes to the music and then play it, but I like singing them. It's like writing poetry, but more fun."

"Can I hear anything?" I asked, curious.

She laughed and said, "I don't think so. Too embarrassing, because I don't think anything I write is that good."

I frowned at that. "I'm sure anything you wrote would be great," I contradicted.

I wasn't just handing out compliments or being nice. I really thought that. She was so smart and talented; how could she doubt herself that much?

"Thanks," she said "If I ever find the one I put on my laptop, you can listen to it."

"So… ," I said, changing the subject. "Where are you going to school in September?"

"Where do you go to school?" she asked.

"I go to the school on the reservation," I answered. "But they teach in Quiluete, so you wouldn't be able to study there."

"So I would have to go to Forks high school?" she asked, looking disappointed.

I could see why- it would have been fun to go to school with her. I imagined that for a few seconds; walking Jess to class, kissing her in the hallways, eating lunch together. I knew she'd like that too; the normality of it. The whole high-school-romance thing was so basic it was practically cliché.

"I think so," I said. "It'll be fun. I'll drive you in the mornings, and pick you up in the afternoons."

She smiled, and said "That wouldn't be so bad. I guess I should call and enroll then."

"The phonebook's on top of the fridge whenever you want to call," I told her.

"Thanks," she said.

She stood up, collecting our empty dishes, and brought them over to the sink. I rolled my eyes as she turned on the tap and grabbed the dish soap.

"You don't have to do that, you know."

"I'll feel bad if I just leave them here," she said. "And the house is spotless-I want to keep it that way for as long as possible."

I shook my head. No wonder Jess and my mother got along so well.

"What do you want to do now?"

Jess's voice pulled me out of my daydreaming, and I pursed my lips. "I don't know," I said, shrugging.

She laughed and wiped her wet hands on a dish towel. "What were you just thinking about?"

I grinned at her and propped my elbows up on the kitchen counter, resting my chin in my hand. "You-what else is there to think about?"

She smirked at me. "Come on. There's _nothing_ more interesting for you to do than stare at me?"

"Nope."

She playfully threw the dish towel at me, and I caught it, walking around the counter to pull her against me.

"Well, maybe _one_ thing," I said mischievously as I pulled my face down to hers to kiss her quickly.

Her face was flushed, and I stroked my thumb across her cheekbone, admiring the softness of her skin and the color on her cheeks.

Jess decided she wanted to order in a pizza for dinner, and so we spent the afternoon watching T.V. and listening to music from her laptop. She surfed the Internet, caught up in 'everything she had missed that was going on in the real world.' When she logged onto Facebook, she stared at the screen for a minute before closing the laptop and putting it on the coffee table, leaning back onto the couch.

I frowned and picked up the computer to see what it was that had upset her. When the screen lit back up, I saw all the sympathetic messages people had left her- all more or less along the lines of "Sorry for your loss. Come home!" I put the laptop down and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. I didn't know exactly what to say, so I settled for pulling her closer to me and kissing the top of her head.

When Sue got home, we ordered pizza, and my annoying sister even came home to grab a slice. I wonder where she was spending all her time now. Probably with Jake at the Cullen house, although it hurt to think that Leah hated Jess even more then she hated the _Cullens._

Sue went to bed early, and I waited for Jess in her room, looking through the books on her bookshelf. More or less what I expected. Mostly teen romance and adventure with a few classics in between, like _Romeo and Juliet _and _Little Women. _I laughed when I noticed that Jess had organized her books in alphabetical order by the last name of the author. Yeah, that was Jess.

When she finally finished changing and brushing her teeth, she walked back in the room and stared at the bed for a few seconds, so I decided to have a little fun with her. I bit back a playful smile and said,

"Isn't that a little…_small?"_

She was wearing a tiny pair of cotton shorts and a white top with…what was it called? Oh, right, spaghetti straps. She glared at me and got into the bed, curling up on the far side. I laughed, walked around the bed, and slid in on the other side.

"Stay on your side," she grumbled at me from under the covers.

I was disappointed that she didn't trust me, but did what she asked, keeping as far away from her as possible.

Jess stayed where she was at first, shifting her position every few minutes restlessly as if she couldn't fall asleep. Eventually, with a frustrated, adorable little 'huff', she slid over to me, resting her head on my chest and laying her arm across my stomach. She seemed much more comfortable this way, and in just a few minutes, my steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

For a moment, I wished she was still awake, so I could kiss her and hold her close to me and never let go. What was it she had told me this morning? I chuckled as I remembered. "_Kissing in bed-_not_ a good idea" _she'd said. Thinking about this morning brought back memories of this afternoon-a song she'd played for me. The remembered lyrics ran through my mind. It was an old Aerosmith song. As we'd listened to it, Jess had smiled and leaned her head on my shoulder.

_I could stay awake_

_Just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile when you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

_I could spend my life_

_In this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment_

_Forever_

I smiled. Steven Tyler must have seen into the future and read my mind. How else could he have perfectly described my thoughts right now?

I kissed her forehead, and Jess returned the favor as listening to her slow, rhythmic heartbeat made me fall fast asleep beside her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15-Jess

"What the _hell _is going on? Seth, if mom finds you here she is going to _kill _you!"

Leah's hissed warning woke me up, and I lifted my head from Seth's chest and frowned. Why did she have to wake me up? Seth shifted and grumbled, "Go away, Leah."

Then he turned so his back was to the her and his arms were around me, pulling me against his chest again. I sighed, totally content. Why had I ever been opposed to this?

Leah stormed into the room and shook Seth's shoulder. _"Seth. _Get up! What the _hell _were you thinking?"

Oh, yeah. That was why.

Seth sat up and glared at Leah. _"Leah. GO. AWAY" _He growled.

Leah met his gaze and said "Why? So mom can walk by here next and find you here? You are _so lucky _that I found you before she did. She's freaking _fifteen!"_

Seth growled again and spit at Leah "If there's something I can do to stop her from having those terrible nightmares, then I'm going to do it. I'm going to say it one more time Leah. _Get. Out." _

Seth sounded so angry right now _I_ was starting to get scared. I'd never seen him so mad before, he was usually nice and cheerful when he talked to everybody, even Leah. I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that Leah thought we had been having _sex_-and insinuated that I was too young for him.

I sat up and started to slide out of the bed and I heard Leah sigh in relief. Seth put a hand on my shoulder and said "You don't have to get up if you're still tired."

I shot a quick smile at him and said, "Nope, I'm fine. I feel great." I hopped down from the bed and quickly grabbed some clothes from my closet, and then hurried out the door. I paused when I heard Leah talking to Seth.

"Seth, do you really expect me to believe that her nightmares are the only reason you're sleeping in her bed?"

"Calm down, Leah. You said it yourself. She's almost sixteen. I'm going to be seventeen. You really think I would-"

" I don't want to know," Leah said, interrupting him. "I'm your big sister. And although you're a real pain in my ass, I don't want mom to chew you out for this."

"Leah, it's not like this is a one-time thing."

"What-you expected to keep this from mom forever?"

"No… I expected her to find out gradually and be okay with it."

Leah snorted, and I winced at her complete doubt of that plan. "Yeah, right. Get your head out of the clouds, little brother."

With that she opened the door, and I had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit in the face. Leah shook her head and walked down the hallway, and I heard the front door slam shut.

I hurried into the bathroom to avoid being caught eavesdropping by Seth, and stared into the mirror. The circles under my eyes from the nightmares and stress had disappeared, and I looked visibly relaxed and healthy. I shook my head, sighing, and turned on the tap.

When I'd finished brushing my teeth and getting dressed, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and put on some light makeup. I really hadn't been putting in much of an effort with looking my best, but it was easy to feel beautiful with a hunky werewolf staring at me like I was God's gift to the world all the time.

After stopping in my room to throw the small shorts and camisole onto my green chair, I walked into the kitchen. Once again, my routine bowl of cereal was sitting at the table. I could get used to this service thing.

I sat down and looked at Seth, and then down the hall to where Sue was still sleeping. Seth shook his head and said "Don't worry about Leah."

"I'm not," I said carefully. "but I think… I think she might be right."

Seth groaned, and I quickly defended myself. "Well, I feel bad about lying to your mom! She's the one who agreed to let me stay here, and I'm not going to thank her by going behind her back. She's going to be mad if she finds out later and then realizes we kept it from her."

Seth sighed and said "I hate how much sense that makes."

I couldn't help but laugh at that and he gave me a small smile before turning back to his huge breakfast.

Just then, Sue walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. I grimaced and tried to wipe the guilty look off my face.

She leaned against the kitchen counter and said, "You know, the walls in this house are pretty thin."

I froze and my face turned red. Seth's mouth dropped open and he swiveled around to stare at her.

"Mom-"

"Like Leah said, I don't want to know. Just…be mature about it. And responsible."

I always thought there was a limit on just how embarrassed I could be. Obviously, I was wrong. I buried my face in my hands, and apparently Seth wasn't much more confortable discussing this, because two seconds later he had grabbed my wrist and pulled me out the front door, barely giving me any time to slip on my flip flops and grab the purse that was hanging on a hook by the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked breathlessly.

It was hard to tell, but I think he was blushing under his tan skin.

"Anywhere. The Cullen's."

Oh. Well, that was okay. Although I would be thinking about what Sue had said the whole day, and so I wasn't crazy about being in close proximity with Edward. We hadn't been over there in a while, actually. Seth went sometimes during the construction, but I never tagged along since I was so involved in the project. I hadn't been there since the day I'd been mad at Seth and then kissed him for the first time.

I guess I could expect some teasing from Emmett then. It was too much to hope for that he'd forgotten. I was excited to see Renesmee again, though. It was interesting to think about the fact that in another seven or eight years we could be real friends. Not that we weren't friends now, but we would be the same age...or at least _look _the same age, and it would be different.

Seth was pretty quiet as he drove us through Forks, and I decided to break the silence.

"So… your mom was pretty…gracious"

He shook his head. "Let's talk about it never"

"Come on. Her reaction was a lot better than we'd hoped. I mean, a 'be responsible' is definitely embarrassing, but better than a lecture."

I was right, and he knew it. 'Be responsible' _was_ pretty bad though. Did Sue _and _Leah really think we were doing _that?_ Or was it just a warning to not move so quickly? I held back laughter as I remembered exactly what Sue had said-if the walls were as thin as she said they were, she would know, wouldn't she?

Seth was quiet the rest of the ride, and I turned on the radio to fill the silence. When we pulled up to the large white house, he came around to the passenger side of the car to open my door. I always felt a little stuck-up when he did this-like a bitchy little princess who expects her boyfriend to do that kind of thing, sitting in the car until he gets the hint. It made him happy though, and so I didn't mind the anti-feminist gesture. I could hear Emmett's booming laugh coming from the backyard, and we walked in the front door the same time he, Jasper, and Edward walked through the back door. They walked into the living room, laughing and covered in mud. Well, Emmett and Jasper were. I guess Edward's mind reading saved him a lot of clothes. Edward flashed me a smile as he heard that; I'd guessed right. Alice came downstairs then, and shook her head when she saw Emmett and Jasper.

"You're lucky Esme isn't home," she scolded. "You know she hates you guys fighting."

Jasper smiled widely at her and then kissed her cheek before flashing upstairs to shower. Vampire speed was a little unnerving-they looked like ghosts when they did that. Emmett ruffled Alice's hair and ran upstairs, turning the corner to his and Rosalie's room.

Alice flitted over to us to hug me. She stepped away and said, "Cute purse!"

I looked down to see the bag she'd complimented. It was a Coach purse I had gotten from my second cousins three years ago. It was cream-colored satin and had an artsy black flower pattern with splashes of pink and a black lining.

"Thanks," I said smiling.

I stepped out of my flip flops, leaving them by the front door, and walked into the living room, setting my purse down on the small end table by the pristine white couch.

Seth sprawled himself out on it and I sat beside him, and he shifted so that his arm was around my waist. Alice sat beside me and clasped her hands together in excitement.

"You guys finished the renovations, right? Did you redecorate your bedroom, Jessica? Or the living room? What did you do?"

It was funny how excited she was about a little bit of remodeling, and Edward smiled at Alice and rolled his eyes.

"Alice, we really didn't do much. My room looks almost the same as my old room, and all we did with the living room was put in a new couch, my piano, and a T.V."

She pouted, and then brightened up. "Do you have any pictures of your room? We could go shopping and give it a complete makeover."

I sighed. My head already hurt just thinking about going from store to store looking at pillow patterns and comforter sets. "Sorry Alice, but I think after spending a month living in a construction zone, and thirteen hours straight moving furniture and boxes, I'm redecorated-out. Call me in like, five years."

Alice sighed and said "Well, I kind of already bought you a house warming present."

I groaned and said "Please tell me you didn't do anything ridiculous, Alice."

She patted my head lovingly and said "Don't worry, I was just kidding. There'll be no remodelling necessary for this gift. Trust me, you'll love it."

"Is that a fact?" I joked.

"Silly, you know I can't see your future when you're attached at the hip with him," she said, gesturing towards Seth. "Wait right here." She flitted upstairs, and after a few seconds came back down with Jasper and Emmett at her heels. Their hair was wet, and they had fresh clothes on. Emmett grinned at me and shook his hair in my direction, and I held up my hands to block the icy droplets of water.

"Emmett!"

Alice sat back down and put a pair of car keys in my hand.

"Alice- what are these?" She hadn't gotten me a _car _had she? I already had one- and loved it, because it had been my family's car.

Alice smiled widely and said "Well, your car wasn't supposed to be back from the mechanic for another few months, but we got it out early for you! It's in the garage right now, you can drive it home today. Or, well, Jake can, since your birthday's not for another couple of months."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at the keys, and then Alice, and back again. I was speechless for a few moments at the gesture.

"Alice…_everyone…_thank you, so much. This is really great." I hugged Alice, and she hugged me back, squeezing me gently before leaning back and getting up to walk over to Jasper.

"See Jazz," she teased, "Even if I can't see her future, I still knew she would love it."

He smiled at her, taking her hand, and pulled her out of the room.

Leah walked through the door then, and I mentally rolled my eyes. Great. Can I never escape her?

As if she was thinking the exact same thing, Leah sneered at me and said, "Oh, great. Our favorite Canadian charity case is here."

_What the hell does my being Canadian have to do with anything? _" Oh, sorry Leah. I didn't realize you owned the place. You know, your name isn't on the front door. You should really look into that."

Seth shifted uncomfortably, and Edward had picked up a book off of the coffee table, politely pretending not to listen to our conversation. Emmett, on the other hand, had a wicked grin on his face and was leaning forward in anticipation of Leah's next jab.

"I was just pointing out that no one really invited you," she said snidely.

"Why don't you make like a beaver and find someone who gives a damn, Leah?"

"Score one for the Canadian," Seth mumbled. Leah glared at him and stormed back out of the house.

Emmett laughed and said, "Nice touch with the beaver thing, with it being a Canadian national animal and all."

"That _was_ pretty good, wasn't it?" I remarked proudly.

Emmett just laughed again, and I turned to Edward to continue our previous conversation. Or really, mine and Alice's.

_Where is Jake anyways? He's here?_

"Yes," Edward said. "He's in the backyard with Renesmee and Bella."

I stood up and tugged on Seth's hand.

"Let's go see them."

"Sure," he agreed.

He stood up and walked me over to the back door. He opened it for me, letting go of my hand and slipping it around my waist once we were outside.

Renesmee and Bella were sitting in the shade of a big oak tree on the edge of the yard, and Jake was in wolf form laying beside her. It still was hard to believe just how_ huge _they were like that- when I was younger, I had ridden horses smaller than they were. I settled myself down next to Renesmee. Bella was behind her, braiding her hair and humming to herself, and I smiled at her in greeting.

She nodded at me, smiling back, and said "Hey, Jess. How's the house?"

"Good. Finished, I hope."

She nodded and turned her attention back to Renesmee's long auburn curls.

Jake raised his head to look at Seth, and then to the woods behind him. Seth nodded and jogged into the trees. A minute later, a large sandy-brown wolf trotted out of the forest to settle itself beside me. I pulled my fingers through the thick fur on his neck and shifted closer to him. If it was even possible, he seemed even warmer then he usually was when he was a wolf.

I loved seeing Seth as a wolf; it made me feel extremely safe and protected. On the other hand, it was still strange to see my boyfriend turn into a giant wolf. I know he would never, ever hurt me, but I still felt that small part of me instinctively saying "_Holy Crap! A giant wolf! Run!" _Usually, after a few minutes the feeling goes away, and is replaced by guilt. I know it's just human nature, but I felt bad for being even the littlest bit afraid of him.

It was the same with the vampires. I guess that feeling was more justified, because they were a thousand times more dangerous to me than the werewolves. At first, I was terrified. Renesmee helps, because she just seems so _human, _and it's so easy to be around her. After a while though, I felt more comfortable around them. You really start to see them as _people, _and not ruthless killing machines, as I had been seeing them based on what happened to my family. The vegetarian thing also helps, although there's a difference between_ might _kill you, and definitely _won't_. I know now they would never hurt me, but with what I had been feeling the first time I met them, and what had just happened to me, it was hard not to see it that way.

Seth's sigh stopped my inner monologue, and I looked at him, locking eyes with my beautiful wolf. I smiled, and he bumped my arm with his big, wet, wolf nose. I wrinkled my nose in fake disgust, and kissed the top of his head. Jacob laughed that choking wolf laugh, and Seth growled at him softly before turning back to me to rest his head in my lap.

We sat like that the rest of the afternoon, with his head in my lap and my fingers gently pulling through the thick fur on his neck, talking to Bella and Renesmee and enjoying the sunny day.

It was dark out by the time Jake and Seth trotted back into the woods to phase, and I walked back to the house with them, taking my car keys out of my pocket to swing them around my finger.

_I _had a car. I actually _owned _a vehicle at fifteen. Wow. On one hand, it sucked that I wouldn't even be able to drive my own car for another two months. On the other, it would totally impress the eleventh-grade class of Forks high school, and would definitely be helpful in my fitting in in two weeks.

"This way to the garage," Jake said, and I was pulled from my thoughts for the second time today. I really had been doing a lot of daydreaming lately, hadn't I?

We started down the dirt path to the garage, and I raised my eyebrows as I saw just how big it was.

Seth, seeing my surprise, explained, "They own a _lot _of cars."

"No kidding" I said disbelievingly. When we walked in and Jake flicked the lights on, my jaw dropped. I mean, I knew the Cullens were rich, but seeing the million dollar sports cars-yes, plural-that were shiny symbols of just how wealthy they really were blew me away.

When I finally tore my eyes away from a Ferrari that Bella had apparently gotten for her birthday this year, Jake pointed towards a familiar silver minivan in the corner.

"That one, right?"

"How did you know?" I joked.

He smiled and held his hand out for the keys. I tossed them to him, and he caught them, hopping in the car and leaning out the window to say, "I'll drop it at your place. Keys'll be in the ignition."

Seth nodded, and I said, "Thanks, Jake."

"No problem," he said, and backed out of the garage to turn and drive back towards the main road.

When Seth and I were also in our car, on the way back home, I decided to casually bring up what I'd been trying not to think about all day while I was in close proximity to a mind reader.

"So…" I said. "Are we going to… do the sleepover thing again tonight?" _Ummm, wow. Tactful, Jessica. __Sleepover_?_ Really? That's the best you can do? That was _not _the right word to use, there._

He looked over at me and raised his eyebrows.

Okay, unfair. He _knew _I always started babbling when he did that, talking on and on to try and explain my ridiculousness.

"Well, you know, I'd _like _to, and I think you'd like to too, but with your mom this morning saying what she said, well, should we cool it for a while or just act like nothing happened? I _really _do not want another 'talk' like that with Sue, that was _beyond _awkward, and-"

"Jess," he said, interrupting me. And thank God he did, or else who knows how long I might've kept talking. "I think we talked about why _not _sleeping together is a bad idea."

"Don't say sleeping together," I said, this time interrupting him. "It sounds like… well, you know what it sounds like."

"Fine." He said. "Sleeping in the same bed. Sue said we could do whatever we wanted, and so I intend to act like we never had the conversation."

"Fine." I said, looking out the window.

"Wait a second-" he said suddenly, and I looked over at him. "What do you mean 'I'd _like _to?' Don't tell me you're enjoying what _you _said was a bad idea."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Teasing me does _not _want to make me comment on how I slept last night."

"Sorry," he said, but I could tell he was trying to hold back laughter.

"I was… very comfortable." I said.

"Interesting."

"Okay, it was a good idea. A _very _good idea. Are you happy?"

"You bet," he said, and reached over to take my hand, squeezing it gently.

When we reached the house, I jumped out of the car and leaned through the driver's side door of the silver minivan Jake had left in our driveway. I took out the keys and closed the door, locking it behind me and walking into the house.


	16. Chapter 16

~**Hey everybody! Sorry about today, i know it's only one chapter (and it's a short one,) but I decided I'm not finished with this. The next chapter was going to be the last one, but I want Jess to have a few days of school first, maybe some other stuff. So... I will do my very very very best to give you the next chapter tomorrow! This was one of my absolute favourite chapters to write, I hope you like it! Please review to tell me what you think :) I love reading your reviews! Until tomorrow!~**

Chapter 16-Seth

Mom was already in bed by the time we got home, and from the way Jess was rubbing her eyes, it was pretty clear she wanted to hit the sack as well.

I waited in her room for her to get out of the bathroom, flipping through a magazine she had left on her night table. _Seventeen _apparently, judging from the bright pink name on the cover.

I was reading the horoscopes at the back of the issue and trying to remember if Jess _had _been moody on the twelfth, when she walked back in from the bathroom. Instead of slip in beside me, though, she stood by the side of the bed, tugging absently on a corner of her pink-patterned quilt.

"What is it?" I asked, putting the magazine back down on top of her black CD player/radio.

"Could we… could we maybe sleep in your room instead?" She looked down at the floor when she said this, and her voice was so soft that someone without supernatural hearing wouldn't have heard her.

"Of course," I said, surprised. I slipped out of her bed and walked past her to her bedroom door, holding it open for her. "Why?"

She blushed as she walked down the hallway and into my room. "It's just… nice. Smells like you. When I slept here, and you slept on the couch, it helped calm me down."

I couldn't help but smile as I heard this. It was nice to know that even if I wasn't doing it consciously, I had made that time even the smallest bit easier for her. I pulled her down on the bed, hugging her to me, and leaned forward to kiss her goodnight.

She drew back, with an annoyed look on her face, and said, "Give me one second."

She got out of bed and walked out of the room. Okay, I was confused. Was she okay? She was just in the bathroom…where was she?

Just as I was beginning to worry about her, she came back into the room, closing the door behind her. I tugged her back down on the bed, and she slipped underneath the covers.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Nowhere," she replied dismissively. "I just forgot to do something is all."

"Well, now I'm all curious," I said smiling. "What did you forget? You know, I told you not to do those big extravagant dinners that you have to start preparing for the day before. I love them, but really, it's too much."

She sighed, looking uncomfortable and a little frustrated. She bit her lip, and then her eyes to mine and away. "I wasn't in the kitchen," she said quickly. "I'm on my period. Does that answer your question?"

I raised my eyebrows at her in surprise, and mentally kicked myself for being so stupid. I hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable, although I'm pretty sure that right now, I was way more embarrassed than she was.

I scrambled for something to say, and of course, genius that I am, all I could come up with was, "Oh."

Jess pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Okay, now I was _sure _I was more embarrassed than she was.

She composed herself and said gently, "Seth, it's okay for me to talk about it. I'm not embarrassed."

I didn't think it could get any more embarrassing, but obviously, I was wrong.

"No, no, it's okay, I get that it's kind of private." I said quickly. I really, really, did _not _want to have this conversation.

She propped herself up on one elbow, looking frustrated. Great. I guess we _are _going to talk about it.

"Why is it so difficult for guys to talk about this?"

I sighed, and struggled to come up with an answer. "We just…we're kind of afraid we're being disrespectful, you know? And it's hard for us to have an opinion on it when we have no real…knowledge base."

She pursed her lips and thought about that for a second. "I guess that makes sense," she said. "I mean, girls talk about it with each other all the time. Especially in sixth grade, when we were all gossiping about who had it and who didn't."

"You guys seriously talked about that?" I said, surprised. Wow. Girls really were a lot more…open.

She snorted. "Oh, definitely. It was the 'losing your virginity' of middle school; except of course without the scandal."

Of course, as soon as she'd said 'losing your virginity' so casually, it was all I could think about. Had _she…_ I mean, it's not like it would matter to me at all, and I wouldn't think any less of her for it, but I was still curious…

"Did you?" I asked hesitantly.

"Gossip?" she said, seeming confused.

"No, did you…" Well, there was really no way to phrase this delicately. "Lose your virginity?"

Her eyebrows shot up, and she looked shocked that I had asked her. She quickly smoothed out her expression, and said calmly, "No. Did you?"

I would never have admitted it to myself if she'd said yes, but that was what I had hoped. It was completely typical and cliché, but it was nice to know that I (hopefully) would be the only one for her. Ever.

"My sister can read my mind," I said, raising one eyebrow and smiling at her. "What do you think?"

She looked relieved for a moment, and then embarrassed. "I never met anyone I wanted to be with…like _that…_until you," she admitted quietly.

I raised my eyebrows at her as if to say, _really?_

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Dude, do I really have to tell you how hot you are?"

Part of me was trying not to laugh because she called me 'dude', and another part of me was intrigued by this new discovery of exactly what she thought of me.

"How innocent do you think I am?" she said, smirking at me.

"Less now," I said laughing.

She pulled herself closer to me and leaned her head on my chest.

"Do you…ever think about _me _like that?" she said softly. "Want to be with _me?" _

I smiled against her hair and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Yes."

I kissed her cheek and hugged her closer to me. "Now go to sleep, beautiful girl. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said softly.

I closed my eyes and stroked her hair, listening to the sound of her breathing.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17-Jess

The next few weeks went by in a blur. I spent them frantically researching about Forks high school and getting ready for school. By the time it was actually there, I was so keyed up I couldn't think about anything else.

I was so nervous, that even Seth sleeping comfortably beside me, his arm around me, couldn't calm me down, and I got very little sleep.

So of course, this all added up to a nervous, exhausted wreck. Great.

I made myself a coffee-which I rarely did, and put on a little more makeup than usual. I wasn't looking for attention; I just wanted to make a good impression.

Seth was surprised by my appearance when I walked out of my room.

"What are you all dressed up for?" he asked.

"Do I look nice?" I asked in return.

"Of course you do. You always look beautiful."

"Thanks. I'm trying to make a good impression," I explained.

"They'll love you, I promise," he said reassuringly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let's go."

In the car (we had taken my silver minivan), I was even more nervous, tapping my foot and drumming my fingers on my knee. I just had a bad feeling about this… this was the first time in my life I had gone to a new school and not known _anybody. _When I was nine, and we moved, I had at least had my siblings around at school.

Seth picked up on my mood, and rolled his eyes at me. "Jess, you'll be fine. Calm down. Breathe."

I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest. It's not like I _wanted _to be nervous. He got to go to a school where he knew everybody. In fact, he had never been without friends, having lived on the reservation his whole life.

When we pulled up to the front of the school, I could see the heads of the entire student body turning to stare at me. New-girl fame. Right. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and was about to climb out of the car when Seth grabbed my arm, gently pulling me back.

He pressed his soft, warm lips to mine, and then pulled away to kiss my forehead. He leaned back to smile at me. "Good luck!" he called as I dazedly stepped out of the car.

Well. It was nice to know the entire student body had seen that. Not.

I had gotten my schedule in the mail, and it seemed like I had English first. I followed the map to the English building, and cautiously stepped inside the doorway, looking around. It seemed to be a fairly normal classroom setting. Young-ish looking teacher. Okay, then. I can do this.

There were already a few kids inside the building, and I sat down beside a dark-haired girl with glasses who was reading a book. Seemed like my crowd.

She looked up when I sat down next to her, and shot me a polite smile.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," I said, sitting down next to her. "I'm Jessica."

"Danielle," she said. "Were you the one outside kissing the hunky Indian?"

I blushed. "Um, if you were inside, then how did you know…"

"Gossip travels quickly in small towns, and even quicker in small high schools. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," I said. "He goes to school on the reservation."

"Do you live in town? I haven't seen you around before." She sounded curious.

"No, I live on the reservation," I said quietly.

Her eyes widened. "Wait-are you the one-on the news-"

I nodded and looked away. I should have known people would put it together. Now I wasn't just the new girl, I was the new girl who's entire family died this summer.

"I'm so sorry." Her voice was suddenly very gentle, and when I looked back at her she really did look sad. I gave her a small smile.

"Thanks."

She wasn't looking at me with pity, and I was grateful for that. Instead, she kept talking to me as if nothing had happened.

"So you live with your _boyfriend?" _She asked, incredulous.

"Yep," I said, smiling. Finally, some girl talk! I could do this. I felt myself relaxing for the first time in a week.

"You are so lucky! Those reservation guys are _hot!"_

I laughed. Would she find them more or less appealing if she found out they also transformed into gigantic wolves?

"Yeah, they are," I said smiling at her.

"So," she said, her voice low. "Is he a good kisser?"

The book she had been reading was forgotten on the table, and her entire body was turned towards me.

"The best," I said, winking at her. I felt like I was at my lunch table at my old high school, chatting with my friends about stuff like this.

She laughed, and opened her mouth to ask me another question.

Before she could get a word out, the bell rang and the teacher at the front of the room instructed us to pass out copies of _A Midsummer Night's Dream. _

Well. At least this class was going to be easy. English was already one of my best subjects, but I'd already read and studied the book. Out of curiosity, I leaned over to Danielle and whispered,

"What book do we study next year?"

"Romeo and Juliet," she answered back.

I'd done that one my freshman year. Maybe I could dig up some of my old notes for this class.

I followed along as we read the first scene, and took notes diligently. Danielle did the same, but most of the other people in the class just sat back and listened, looking bored.

I realized at the end of the period that the teacher hadn't even introduced himself. Maybe it was because he expected everyone to already know him. This town really _was_ small.

As we walked out, Danielle turned to me. "I'll see you in the cafeteria at lunch?"

She phrased it like a question-as if _she _was the new student trying to fit in.

"Of course," I said, smiling at her. "I'll look for you."

The next class, gym, passed uneventfully. I wasn't very athletic, but I was fairly coordinated, and so playing basketball wasn't that bad. The gym classes were co-ed, which I was a little surprised about, because we were separated in my old high school. Maybe Forks high school's junior class wasn't big enough for that.

During the class, everybody observed me warily, instead of ignoring me, like they had in English. I don't know which I preferred, but all the staring, especially from the boys, was a little unsettling.

By the time lunch came around, I had more than a few questions for Danielle. I found her sitting alone, reading her book again. I sat down across from her, wondering why she wasn't sitting with anyone.

"Hey," I said, smiling at her.

She looked up and smiled back. "Oh, hi!"

"So," I said, picking up the piece of pizza I'd bought. "How come you're sitting alone?"

She laughed, and said, "I'm not. My boyfriend's buying my lunch-he's over in the line with our friends."

"Oh," I said. Right on cue, a small crowd settled themselves down at our table, and a tall blond boy slid a tray in front of Danielle.

"Thanks," she said, smiling up at the boy. Then she turned to me and said, "Jess, this is my boyfriend Max. Max, this is the new girl."

"Hey." The guy was good looking, I guess, and looked athletic. Football team, probably. Wow, I'd edged myself into the popular crowd without even knowing it. That had certainly never happened before.

Everyone else at the table seemed friendly enough, and again I found myself remembering the friends I had back in Canada. People really were the same wherever you went, especially teenagers.

I was finished lunch, and debating lipstick vs. lip stain with the girls at the table, when my cell phone rang. I took it out of my pocket to check the caller ID, and smiled widely when I saw who it was.

When the girls saw me smiling at my phone, they all stopped to ask me who it was. "Boyfriend," I replied, and pressed talk, holding the phone to my ear.

The girls were silent, trying to listen in on the conversation, and even the boys stopped talking to pay attention when they noticed the girls all watching me intently. No pressure.

"Hey, Seth," I said cheerfully.

"Hey, Jess! How are you? You're having lunch now, too, right?"

I laughed, because it was just so good to hear his voice. I hated being away from him for the whole day. "Yeah, I'm at lunch now. I'm fine. How was your morning?"

"Pretty uneventful," Seth said. "A school can get boring when you've been there for thirteen years. I wish you were here with me."

I smiled. That was nice to hear. "I wish I was there, too." I sighed and said, "I hate being away from you the whole day."

"It does kinda suck," Seth admitted. "I'll let you get back to your friends now. I'll pick you up at three, okay? I miss you."

"I miss you too," I said, frowning. "I'll see you later then. Bye."

"I love you."

He did? Well, I kind of knew he did, but he'd never said it straight out like that. Well, you know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, even if it's an absence of three hours.

"I love you, too." I whispered.

I hung up the phone, and slipped it back into my front pocket.

Everyone at the table was either staring at me, or giggling. "What?" I said, annoyed. Come on. They weren't more mature than this?

Danielle laughed at my peeved expression, and said, "It's just such a scandal, you living with your boyfriend."

"It's not _just _my boyfriend," I said, defending myself. "His sister and his mother live there too."

Max laughed. "His mom? Doesn't that kind of kill the mood sometimes?"

"Actually, we have the place to ourselves most of the day, and we're usually out places anyways."

A girl who had been in my gym class sighed and said, "It's so _romantic."_

A girl across the table from her laughed and said, "Of course it is. Did you _see_that guy? Drop dead gorgeous. He looked like he could bench a pick-up truck."

This, of course, led to a debate between the male members of the group about who could bench-press the most weight. It was funny how while the girl-I think her name was Madison- had said what she said sarcastically, Seth probably could bench-press a pick-up truck.

Wow, that mental image was hot. Okay, I was getting distracted. This was not the time to day dream about Seth's werewolf-strength.

When the bell rang for school at the end of the day, I walked outside with Danielle, looking for Seth. In five minutes, he pulled up in front of me and leaned over to open my door.

"Hey, Jess!" He said, smiling widely at me.

"Hey, Seth." I looked at Danielle, who was staring at Seth, looking impressed. I guess the word to describe how most girls would be feeling right now would be _jealous, _but I knew there was no reason for me to be. Seth and I belonged to each other, and I knew that. I felt _proud. _Proud that the beautiful boy in the front seat of my car was _mine. "_This is my friend Danielle. Danielle, this is my boyfriend, Seth."

"Hello," Seth said politely. Danielle just stared at him with wide eyes, and only after a few awkward seconds did she shake her head and nod at him, blurting out a nervous "Hi"

I thought at first that Danielle was attracted to him-but now I realized that she was _afraid _of him. Afraid of Seth? He was so sweet and kind all the time I was surprised he turned into a wolf and not a giant teddy bear.

That was pretty funny, actually. I'd have to remember that one.

I waved goodbye to Danielle and climbed into the car, shutting the door and putting my seatbelt on.

"So," Seth said, leaning against the kitchen counter. "How was it, really?"

I stopped unpacking my bag and turned around to hug him. He pressed me against him and said, "That bad?"

"No, not really," I replied, sighing. "It's just hard sometimes, to try to make friends and be normal again. It's easy to be myself around here, but without you at school it's hard to keep the sad stuff out of my mind."

Seth pulled away from me to lean down and kiss me softly. I relaxed instantly, my hands resting against his chest and letting him take control. It was nice to be taken care of. When he pulled away to kiss his way up my jaw, I closed my eyes and shivered. "I don't know how I got through seven hours without this," I said, smiling.

He laughed and kissed my forehead. "Just another four days until the weekend," he reminded me. "and then we can do whatever we want for a whole two days."

I rolled my eyes at his optimism, and got back to unpacking.


	18. Chapter 18

**~Hey guys! Yeah, I know, please don't kill me. Been really busy the past few days, that's why I haven't been updating in the usual spitfire-esque fashion. But i hope these last two chapters make up for it. This, sadly, shall be the end of Seth's chapter. However, by next week, I will have posted the first chapter in my Jacob/Renesmee story! I might decide to keep Jess for that one (I just love her so much!), which will be fun :) Anyways, I really hope you enjoy the last two chapters, and i hope you enjoyed reading the entire Fanfic. Thank you to everyone who read, and especially reviewed, it just makes me so happy! It's so cool to think that people all over the world have read what I've written! This was my first fanfic... and I'm so happy you guys liked it!~**

Chapter 18-Seth

Starting school again was about as much fun as running patrol with Leah. That is to say, not at all.

Most of the guys in the pack were a couple of years older than I was, so the only real 'friends' I had were Brady and Collin. Everyone else was kind of intimidated by how big we were. It _was_ a little weird that we all looked too old to be in high school.

Hah! The older Cullen siblings could empathize with that.

I hated being away from Jess the whole day, too. That urge to be near her hadn't gone away. Every day at school I felt that pull towards Forks, and I fought the instinct to drive over there and wrap her up in my arms, where she would be safe.

I knew the chances of anything really bad happening to her while she was at school were slim, but even the slight chance that at any moment she could be hurt kept me on the edge of my seat all day. It was good to see she'd made some friends, even if the staring was a little annoying.

It was funny how two months ago I would have been smug about attracting the attention of those girls. Now, it was obnoxious. Who cared about them when I had _Jess? _What measure of attraction could I possibly have for them when I had _her? _

It was Friday, and that meant that in fifteen minutes, I could hop in my-well, Jess's- minivan, drive over to Forks, and pick her up from school. And then have her all to myself for 48 hours. I sighed in anticipation, and my math teacher told me, in Quileute, to pay attention.

It was going to be a real challenge to concentrate on school this year.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, I bolted out the door like a prisoner who's just been set free, and nearly ran into Brady on the way out of the small building.

"Jeez, Seth! Watch it!"

"Sorry," I said, apologizing. "I guess I'm a little overexcited."

"No kidding," Brady grumbled. "Careful not to run her over when you see her."

I laughed and slipped into the silver minivan. "Do you want a ride?"

"I'm good," Brady said. "I have patrol now anyways, with Collin."

"Okay," I said. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

I peeled out of the parking lot, hoping that there were no police cars out today between here and Forks high. At this time of the day, I very frequently broke the speed limit.

When I finally pulled into the parking lot at Forks high school, I craned my neck to try and see Jess. There she was, in the same place I picked her up everyday. I breathed a sigh of relief, and then frowned as I got closer to her.

She was wearing-was that a bandage? Did she get hurt or fall down or something?

I'd comforted myself with the fact that she wasn't at all uncoordinated-had I been wrong? I'd never seen he do anything that would give anyone a reason to describe her as _clumsy. _

Instead of leaning over to open the door for her like I usually did, I got out of the car and jogged around the front to where she was.

My eyebrows pulled together as I saw her take a step towards me and then wince, looking down at her ankle.

"Are you okay?" I said, putting my hands on her arms to steady her.

She nodded. "It's okay. Just a bad sprain," she said. "Somebody in my gym class…we ran into each other during basketball. You should see the other guy," she joked.

"Can you walk?" I asked her. I wasn't so convinced she was alright.

"Of course," she said. "I got out here, didn't I?"

She took a step towards the car and winced again, and so I picked her up and carried her the few feet over to the car, opening the door and setting her down sideways on the passenger seat. I could practically hear the intake of breath from the female population of the school.

I knelt down to take a look at her ankle, and Jess giggled. "What?" I asked, looking up at her.

She giggled again and said, "Every girl here thinks you're about to propose."

I smiled at her and unwrapped the stretchy cloth bandage. Her ankle was pretty swollen already, and I looked up at her again, worried.

"Really, it's okay," she assured me. "It only hurts when I move it."

"Then just don't move it for a little while, okay? When we get home I'll put some ice on it." I stood back up, and leaned down to kiss her quickly before closing the door and walking back around to the driver's side door.

I got into the car and looked over at her again, worried.

"Seth, it's a little sprain. It'll feel better tomorrow. There's really nothing to worry about." She rolled her eyes at me.

I sighed and shook my head, pulling the car out of the parking lot and driving towards La Push.

It's not like she could stop taking gym. I knew that. But this kind of thing was exactly what I was worried about! I know it could have been a lot worse, and that's what I was most upset about. It was frustrating how _delicate _she was.

When we pulled up to the house, I walked around to open Jess's door for her. I leaned down to pull her into my arms, and she smiled, putting her arms around my neck. I leaned forward to kiss her, pressing my lips gently to hers. She smiled against my lips and pressed more forcefully against them, sucking on my bottom lip. I growled softly against her mouth and she pulled away, laughing.

"Are we going to sit out here all day?" she teased. "This would be much easier on a couch."

I grinned at her. "Carrying you is easy."

She smiled again and leaned in closer to me to whisper in my ear.

"The couch is more comfortable. Remember to do that growly thing you just did…I like it."

Her hot breath in my ear was so distracting that I barely comprehended what she'd said, but I closed the car door and brought her inside, closing the door behind us with my foot.

When I sat her down on the couch, she took the opportunity to tease me a little more. "Proposing and then carrying me over a threshold? I think this is moving a little too fast, Seth,"

I reached forward again to tickle her sides, and she shrieked and then started laughing breathlessly.

"Stop! Stop! Okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She insisted between fits of laughter. "I give up!"

I stopped tickling her and kissed her forehead, and then left the living room to get some Advil and a glass of water from the kitchen. It would relieve some of the pain for her, at least for a few hours.

She had taken out her homework when I came back with the painkillers, and she looked up from her books, smiling.

"Thanks," she said, taking the water from my hands.

"What happened to 'this would be easier on a couch' Jess?" I said in mock disappointment. "What's with the homework?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes, playfully shoving my shoulder. "One track mind," she complained. Then she winked at me. "Later tonight."

I sighed dramatically and said, "I _guess _that would be okay. I don't know if I'll be able to make it though, honestly. It's gonna be tough."

She giggled again and got back to her homework, and I settled down to watch her. She was smart; I knew that. I'd heard her talking with her old school about her records, and being in some special science program.

She had a novel in her hands, and so I guessed that this work was for English class. She would glance from the page to the book and then back again, bite her lip, and hesitate with her pen over the page before writing something down, and then start the process all over again.

When I noticed this pattern, I couldn't help but laugh, and she looked at me curiously.

"Don't _you _have homework to do?" she asked me, one eyebrow raised.

I shook my head no. "Not today."

She sighed and flipped the binder closed, pushing it and the novel onto the coffee table. I could see what it was now-_Midsummer Night's Dream. _

Ugh. I couldn't wait until I never had to study Shakespeare again.

I must've been making a disgusted face at the book, because she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Are you mad at my book?"

I smirked. "No, I just don't like studying Shakespeare. English was never my favorite class."

She frowned. "I thought you said everything was taught in Quileute?"

"Well, yes, but the novels we studied were in English. I don't think anyone's ever bothered to translate Shakespeare into Quileute."

"Oh." She got up off the couch and limped towards the kitchen, holding the wall to steady herself. She pulled a few things out of the fridge to prepare for dinner.

"Don't you have more homework?" I asked her, confused.

She sighed. "Yes, but I'm not going to be able to get it done with you staring at me. It's distracting. So I'll just make dinner early, and then do it afterwards."

I flipped on the T.V. as she worked in the kitchen, and started watching the re-run of a football game I'd missed the night before while I was on patrol.

"Hey, Seth," Jess called from the kitchen as if she'd remembered something she wanted to ask me.

"Yes?" I said, looking over my shoulder to see her.

She leaned against the counter and said, "You just had patrol yesterday night,"

"Yes," I said, nodding my head.

"Will you have it again tomorrow?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so," I answered. "Why? Is there somewhere you wanted to go?"

"Yeah," she said. "Could we go over to the Cullen's place? I miss everyone."

"Sure," I said happily. "I was planning to go over there with you sometime this weekend anyways."

"Great," she said, beaming at me, and went back to working on dinner. I turned up the volume on the football game, and walked into the kitchen to help her out. I wanted to keep her from moving around as much as possible, but she insisted on 'being useful', which was driving me crazy.

Why couldn't she see that her pain was the hardest thing in the world to withstand? My stomach twisted with worry and uneasiness every time she so much as turned around…

When we'd finished dinner, and she'd done her homework, I pulled her into bed next to me and hugged her to my chest.

"How's your ankle?" I asked worriedly, probably for the hundredth time.

She rolled her eyes at me and sighed. "For the thousandth time, Seth, people sprain their ankles all the time! It barely hurts now, I'll be perfectly fine by morning."

I bit my lip, doubting her statement. If she had cracked her skull open she would have said she was fine.

"Can I at least get you some more Advil?" I asked, desperate to do _something _to help her.

"I can't take it more than once in eight hours," she said. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.

"I'll be okay, I promise," she said gently. I think she knew how hard it was for me when she was hurting, no matter how little.

In this position, with her arms around my neck and mine around her waist, it was perfectly natural to lean down and kiss her.

She pulled her arms from my neck to hold my face in her hands, pushing our lips more forcibly together. When her arms were no longer behind my neck, I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top of me. I sucked gently on her bottom lip, repeating what she'd done to me this afternoon.

She smiled against my lips and growled, doing her best werewolf impression.

I laughed at that, my shoulders shaking and my hands tickling her waist like I'd done on the couch.

She laughed with me, and pulled away from me to kiss my cheek and whisper, "I love you."

"I love you too, little she-wolf" I replied, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes again but smiled, and cuddled into my chest.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19–Jess

Just because Seth kept the nightmares away doesn't mean he could keep me from thinking about my family.

I woke up before Seth, which didn't happen often, but I was still pretty tired and so I relaxed and let my mind wander.

Bad idea. Within minutes, tears were rolling down my face as my thoughts inevitably turned to my family. I curled myself up and cried harder, trying desperately to calm myself down so I didn't wake up Seth. It always freaks him out to see this, and I didn't like to worry him.

Seth must have some sort of 'Jess-radar' in his brain, because seconds later he opened his eyes and sat up in shock.

"Jess…Jess, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just need a minute to calm down."

I felt like I was suffocating, like the walls of the room were closing in on me. I couldn't breathe, I needed...

Seth's arms reached out to wrap around me, and I flinched away. "Leave me alone," I said quickly.

Seth's arms around me usually felt good, but I knew that right now they would only make me feel more trapped and scared.

I could see on his face that I'd hurt him when he slowly drew back, leaning away from me.

"Sorry," I said, wiping my eyes. "I just need to be alone so I can calm down. I promise I'm fine."

He nodded and slowly got up off the bed. I realized that he was moving so carefully because he thought I was _afraid_ of him.

I winced as I realized just how harshly he'd taken my 'leave me alone'.

He walked slowly to the door, keeping his eyes on me, and then left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

When he was gone, I rested my forehead on my knees and concentrated on taking deep breaths. In my head I tried to distract myself by running through the lyrics of songs I had memorized.

_Jasper's talent would really come in handy right now. Or even Renesmee, maybe, since I'm looking for a distraction._

After a few minutes, I had stopped crying, but my face was tear-streaked and my eyes were red, and so I shuffled off to the bathroom to clean up before facing Seth.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I nearly started crying again. This was the girl who'd stared back at me the first morning after the accident- tear streaked cheeks, shallow breathing, and fearful eyes in all. I'd promised myself not to be that girl, convinced myself I was stronger. Was I wrong?

When I walked into the kitchen, Seth was leaning against the counter waiting for me, his arms crossed over his still-shirtless chest.

_Damn, he looks good right now. _

_Come on, really Jess? Is this really the time for that? _

_Okay, fine, jeez, I can't help it!_

I shook my head and stopped arguing with myself to walk over to Seth and wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly.

He sighed and uncrossed his arms to wrap them around me. After a few seconds, he pulled me away from him, still keeping a tight grip on my waist.

"Are you sure you're okay? What was that back there?"

I looked down at the tiles on the kitchen floor and pressed my lips together.

"I just started…thinking about things, and I got really scared and upset. I'm sorry I told you to leave me alone. I don't ever want that. I felt… claustrophobic. Like I couldn't breath. I'm sorry." I had to apologize. I knew exactly how I would have felt if he'd told me to leave him alone.

He pulled one arm from around my waist to stroke my hair and pull me back against him.

"Don't apologize," he said. "I understand. If you ever start to feel that way, just wake me up, okay? You scared me."

I nodded against his chest, and pulled away to look up at him. I had to change the subject so I could clear my head. "What are we doing today?"

Seth frowned, and said, "Actually, Jake just called me. Alice had a vision…"

"About what? " I said, curious.

"Well, she's not exactly sure, because of course Jake's there, and for some reason, if Jake decides not to be there, the entire thing disappears. She _thinks_ it's nothing serious, but Jake wants the pack there just in case."

"Am I coming with you?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course," he said raising his eyebrows. "You think I would leave you here all alone?"

"Maybe, if you thought it was dangerous over there."

Seth laughed and said, "Trust me, if Alice saw that anybody was in danger, Jake would have Renesmee halfway to Canada by now. It's probably nothing."

I laughed at that, and let go of Seth so I could make breakfast.

When we got to the Cullen's place, you could tell that everyone was paranoid about Alice's vision. Leah had gotten so fed up with it, in fact, that she had taken Quil and Embry with her to sweep the mountains for any trails.

Jake was probably the worst, casting worried glances at Renesmee, who was playing happily on Edward's piano, every few seconds.

Seth was talking to Edward about exactly what Alice had seen, and so I slipped my hand out of his to go sit beside Renesmee on the piano bench. I stretched my right hand out along the keys, and played a simple version of the chorus to a popular song that played on the radio.

Renesmee laughed and filled in the left hand, taking over for me when I couldn't remember the rest. I sang along as she played, trying to make her laugh by purposely singing the wrong words.

In another hour, Renesmee was sitting on the couch with me and we were eating a bowl of popcorn and talking. She was so much fun to be around, and so interesting to talk to.

I was telling her about my friends back home when Rosalie called her upstairs, probably something clothes-related. I had to admit, Renesmee was the best dressed two-year-old I'd ever met. Her aunts were geniuses when it came to clothes, especially Alice.

I set the half-empty bowl on the kitchen counter and ambled outside to sit on the porch with Seth and Jake.

After a few minutes, Renesmee had joined us outside, and we were all lounging on the porch steps when Edward threw the door open to growl, "Inside. Now."

Seth and Jake looked at each other in confusion before slowly standing up. Jake, who was holding Renesmee, handed her over to Edward.

Seth extended his hand towards me and I took it, pulling myself to my feet.

"Edward, is everything alright?" Jake asked.

Edward growled, looking into the forest, and clenched his teeth. "I don't know." He looked at me quickly and then away, and shut the front door behind us as we all walked into the house.

Now Seth was really getting worried. "Edward, what is going _on?" _

Edward set Renesmee down on the floor and said in a low voice, "Visitors. I don't know them, but…"

"Edward, _what is it?"_ I finally exclaimed. What was with these vampires and never getting to the damn point?

Edward ignored me and turned to Seth and Jake. "I think you should phase," he said slowly, "once we get back outside."

Emmett, who was apparently as frustrated by all this as I was, spoke up. "Why do they need to phase? Do you think these visitors are looking for a fight?"

Edward's eyes once again flickered to my face. I was starting to get annoyed by that, actually. What did all this have to do with me?

"It seems these visitors belong to the same coven as the two visitors the reservation had early this summer," he whispered, looking at Seth.

My stomach dropped as I realized what his words meant. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.

_Seth's here, you're fine. Seth's here, nothing bad will happen to you. _

I bit back the frightened tears threatening to run down my face and said quietly, "How, many?"

Edward looked at me quizzically, and though I knew he'd heard me, I said again, louder-"How many?"

Everyone looked at Edward expectantly, and he looked at Jasper as he answered. "Five."

Alice looked like she was trying hard to see them around the wolves, and once her eyes had refocused; she looked up at Jasper worriedly. "Less than five minutes," she informed him.

Carlisle spoke then. "Are they coming on peaceful terms?" He sounded hopeful, but I was pretty sure Edward and Alice's tone had been clear-this was not a friendly visit.

Edward winced and said, "No. They were going to La Push, but they picked up on a wolf trail that led them here, probably from one of the wolves running patrol."

Esme spoke up softly. "Five is unnaturally large for a non-vegetarian coven," she noted. "It was even larger before. Seven members."

Edward nodded. "From what I can see, one of the vampires in the coven has a gift similar to Chelsea's. This vampire can establish bonds between the members of his coven to create a stronger, larger family unit."

Who the hell was Chelsea?

"We should set up a defensive position around the house," Jasper said quickly, already going into battle mode. "Esme, Renesmee, and Jess will stay inside. The rest of us, outside."

Seth turned around to kiss my forehead, and then jogged outside to phase.

Wait a second. Why was I inside being babysat? Sure, I was only a weak little human, but we outnumbered them two to one. Why couldn't I go outside and enjoy watching them run back home with their metaphorical tails between their legs?

I huffed in annoyance and sank down onto the couch in front of the big glass window to wait.

If anything, this would be very interesting. I would either get to see the Cullen's and the wolves scare these crazy-ass vampires silly, or watch the coven that took my family from me get torn apart. Honestly, right now I was kind of hoping for the latter.

In less than five minuets, as Alice predicted, five vampires shot out of the woods beside the house. From where I was standing, they looked scary. These were definitely not the polite, cleaned-up vampires that the Cullens were.

Their teeth were bared, and there was debris in their hair and in their clothes, which looked worn and old. In other words, these guys looked like angry hermits.

The one in the front had dark brown hair that flopped down in front of his eyes, and he was wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt and ripped jeans. Jeans seemed to be a theme here; the three females in the coven were also wearing them with various t-shirts. In fact, the three girls all looked somewhat alike, except two had blonde hair and one had dark black hair. The other male in the group was also blond, and had on a pair of torn khakis and a collared shirt, looking somewhat more civilized (although not much) than the others.

Carlisle spoke first. "Hello," he said calmly. "I'm Carlisle. This is my family-"

"We know who you are," the blond male interrupted. "I doubt there is a vampire on earth who hasn't heard of the famous Cullens."

They spoke loud enough that I could hear them from the open window, and I saw Edward clench his jaw as he read the minds of the five red-eyed vampires in the clearing. Or maybe it was because they'd interrupted Carlisle. He thought so highly of him that he hated seeing anyone showing him the least amount of disrespect.

"You won't touch her," Edward said firmly. He said it as a warning, not a threat, as if it was ridiculous of them to even think they could win in a fight.

So he had been reading their minds.

The dark haired male hissed and said, "Those dogs killed two members of our coven," he said darkly. "One insignificant human isn't much to ask for in compensation."

Seth's loud, menacing snarl ripped through the clearing, and it was at that moment that I realized they were talking about _me. _

_They wanted me._

My heart skipped a beat and then started beating faster. I clenched my jaw to hold back the frightened tears, struggling to remain composed enough to follow the situation.

"Don't try to hide her from us," the raven-haired female hissed. "We can hear her heart beating. We can smell the blood in her veins. And I can assure you, we will thoroughly enjoy stopping that heart by ripping it from her chest, and draining her body of that blood."

I was trying not to hyperventilate myself, and this vivid description of how they wanted to kill me appeared to have a similar effect on Seth.

He whimpered, and almost fell to the ground. Seeing them hurt Seth like that made me very, very angry.

How _dare _they? How dare they hurt _my _wolf? They had the _nerve _to bring him to his knees by talking about their sadistic fantasies and thoughts towards how they were going to kill me?

One moment I was fighting back tears, the next I was stomping out the front door, my eyes narrowed.

I should have been afraid of them. I should have taken the car and driven as far away from here as I could as soon as Alice had seen them coming. But right now, all I could think of was them taking Seth from me the same way they had taken my family. I could _not. let. that. happen. _

"Who do you think you are?" I growled, as good as any vampire in this clearing, speaking loud enough that they would be able to hear me from across the clearing even if they were human. All eyes were on me, and Jasper said quickly, "Jess, get back inside the house."

I ignored him and continued my rant. "We outnumber you two to one," I said menacingly. "In about five minutes, when the rest of the wolf pack arrives, it will be almost three to one. What is so special about you that you can stand there completely confident in your ability to overcome those odds?"

Emmett looked away from me to smirk at them. "Girl's got a point," he said smugly.

One of the blonde girls glared at me and growled low in her throat. "If I were you," I said, my voice low and dangerous, "I. Would. Run. There is absolutely _no _scenario in which _you_ come out on top."

The other blonde female looked around nervously, but the one who had growled at me shifted into a hunting crouch, turning towards me.

Seth, seeing her prepare to attack, snarled and launched himself at her, his teeth aiming straight for her throat.

I gasped and stumbled backwards as growls erupted from each side of the field and the Cullen's lawn became a battleground.

I tried to keep my eyes on Seth, but everyone was moving so quickly that I was lucky to catch the occasional glimpse of sandy-brown fur.

It should have been an easy win, but after a few minutes of watching the fighting I realized that these vampires were skilled fighters.

I was so worried about Seth, and so focused on him, that it took me a minute to process what was happening when the dark-haired male broke away from the fight to run towards me.

In the split second before he was in front of me, I remember thinking two things:

One: _It'll be quick, and__ then I'll see my family again. I can be with them. _

Then a second thought, stronger and quickly overpowering the first until it was resounding inside my head.

_They will NOT take me away from Seth. _

The confidence and adrenaline running through my veins gave me the ability to glare at my killer, and look him in the eyes when he stopped to stand in front of me. He reached out to grab me-

And a small grey wolf bolted out of the forest to throw herself against him, claws extended.

Seth was beside Leah in an instant, escaping the snare of the dark-haired female's arms to help her rip my would-be killer to shreds.

Even though he was a wolf, it wasn't difficult to tell how Seth was feeling.

He was livid, his eyes murderous as he tore the vampire apart, snarling and practically foaming at the mouth.

After the death of the leader of the coven, and the arrival of the rest of the pack, the other members of the group were quickly overtaken.

I closed my eyes and sank to the ground, taking deep, slow breaths, and trying to slow my heart rate.

Two large, warm arms wrapped around my waist to pick me up off of the porch. I looked up into Seth's worried eyes…

And promptly burst into tears against his chest.

I know, I know. What was wrong with me? Confronting a coven of vampires in one minute and bursting into tears the next. Here's the thing-Seth was okay, and so I could break down.

When Seth was hurting because of their vivid description of my death, I couldn't be afraid. That would mean we both were, and I would crumble. He needed to lean on me-and so I did, not even thinking about it. Now that he was the strong one, I could let him take care of me for a couple of minutes.

He carried me inside and sat down on the couch, holding me close to him.

"Shh," he said gently. "It's okay, everyone's fine. You're fine. I'm right here."

He pressed his lips to the top of my head, and I twisted around to kiss him.

He was surprised at first, but tightened his arms around me, and lifted one hand to hold my face, stroking my skin with his fingers.

He held me as carefully as if I was the most precious thing in the world.

His lips were soft, and he kissed me so gently and sweetly that I couldn't help but cry even harder, silent tears streaming down my already-damp face. I was so happy I was alive, and we were together.

Just five minutes earlier, I had convinced myself I would never again feel the heaven that was his lips pressing softly down on mine.

I sighed and tightened my hold around his neck, my tongue tracing along his lip and then mingling with his.

Someone cleared their throat behind us, and I broke away from his to glare at Emmett.

"Hey, it's my house. I don't come over to your place and make out on your couch."

I didn't have time to give Emmett a witty retort, because Leah walked through the front door.

I slid off of Seth's lap and went to stand in front of her.

How did you thank someone who hated you-and who you thought you'd hated-for saving your life?

"Leah, I… Thank you."

She looked me up and down and said, "Are you okay?"

That made me happy. She was actually _worried _about me? Was she finally accepting me? The thought of having a sister again almost made me start crying again, but this time because I was happy instead of scared.

"I am perfectly fine," I assured her.

"Then don't mention it," she said, giving me a small smile.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

She hesitantly hugged me back, and then pulled away from me to say,

"Well, I couldn't exactly let my sister get hurt," she said.

I felt like crying again when she called me her sister, and for the first time, I could see it. My future with Seth; getting married, having kids who would call him "daddy", and call Leah "Aunty". Not letting go of my old family, but still making myself a new one. A happy one.

For the first time, I knew what I wanted.

And be it werewolf, or vampire, or human, I would always fight for it.

~**Again, I love you guys. Be sure to check back with me next week for the beginning of a new story. You might just get to revisit Jess a little, six years in the future!~**


	20. Chapter 20

**IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ**

**Hey everybody! I'd like to start writing my newest FanFiction, and I have a few options as to what to write about. **

**I'd like you to review and vote on what you'd prefer to see from me.**

**1) A story about Leah going to college and imprinting on somebody (not really feeling this one right now, though)**

**2) A love story about Quil and Claire when Claire's older (I have a lot of good ideas for this one)**

**3) A continuation of my Jake and Nessie story, or Jake and Renesmee (M) story. (Please note if you vote for this category, you MUST INCLUDE in your review vote exactly what you want to happen in the story so I can get some feedback on what to write, because me plot lines are all resolved)**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE IN FOR THIS! JUST REVIEW OR PM ME! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey everyone! Just a quick note to tell you all that I just signed up to be a Beta reader, and am now available to Beta stories. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to contact me about helping you with your FanFictions. As you probably know, Twilight is my forte, but I can also definitely help you out with Hunger Games-themed stuff, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, most celebrity themed stuff, Percy Jackson, the list goes on and on. **


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